


Blessed and Possessed (Werewolf/Vampire AU)

by cynabunny



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Betrayal, Blood, Blood Drinking, Demons, Dragons, Gun Violence, M/M, Sex, Swearing, Vampires, Werewolves, physical violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-05-28 17:36:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 75,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15054332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cynabunny/pseuds/cynabunny
Summary: Jesse McCree is a vampire-slayer for hire who gets tasked with taking down one of the most powerful vampires (Hanzo Shimada) in the world. The report says that this vampire has killed his entire family and clan members and is on the run. Jesse wants nothing to do with this guy and as much as he tries to avoid him, Hanzo shows up out of nowhere. Now he's not sure what to do: help the guy - or kill him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first AU story. I wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary and portray the characters in a different light. This is an on-going story as I am still writing it, I am not sure how many chapters it will have but I will update as time permits.

             Jesse McCree leaned back in the chair, putting his cowboy boot-wearing feet on the conference table while he chewed on a toothpick.

“Jesse.” His name was said on an exasperated sigh, coming from none other than good ol’ Jack Morrison - the first in command of the Nightfall Division, aka his _boss_.

“What?,” he shrugged as if he was doing nothing wrong, “go on with your meetin’, I’ve got things to do.”

With a heavy, aggravated sigh, Jack looked away from him and down at his stack of papers before rambling about shit Jesse already knew about. Fifteen murders just outside the city limits - all occurring late at night, all blood being drained from the body and ‘supposed’ fang marks on the victims’ necks. Tell-tale signs of a vampire in the area… as the media put it. Jesse hadn’t come across the scent of a rogue vampire nearby in quite some time so it was likely a fake, making it look like a vampire did it. While he wasn’t the vampires’ #1 fan, he did believe in fair judgement and after hunting them for over twenty years, he knew a thing or two about ‘em. They _definitely_ weren’t sloppy and their objective was never killing their blood donor. He twirled the toothpick in his mouth, wondering if he should set up a meeting with his old buddy to see if he’d heard of a new breed popping up.

“ _Jesse_!”

He blinked, the sound of a fist hitting the table startling him enough to allow for him to fall forwards, feet going to the floor. He caught himself before falling off the fucking chair and eyed Morrison. “What?,” he growled, annoyed.

“Were you paying attention to anything I just said?”

“Fifteen murders, blah blah, made to look like a vampire, blah blah-”

“For fuck’s sake, can you pay attention just _once_?!”

              Jack knew he hated meetings. Hated social gatherings. Hated anything that made him be around all these people. He wasn’t a people-person, which is why he was a one-man show. The only reason why he had joined the division was because he had a secret, a secret only Jack and Angela, the resident doctor, knew about. And unfortunately, he needed them as they provided him safety...and the tranquilizers. They also supplied weapons. He only needed one - his revolver, but if he needed anything else (say, a shotgun or AR), he would have it. As well as unlimited ammo. No questions asked. They provided the roof over his head and food, as well. And when the full moon came every month, they took care of him for those 2-3 days.

“Meeting adjourned,” Jack stated and Jesse glanced around the room to see the other members of the division start to stand. He didn’t bother getting up, he knew he wasn’t going anywhere. Fuck, he needed a smoke. And a drink. His skin was starting to itch, his nerves on edge.

Once the room was empty, Jack started walking towards him. “Full moon is coming.”

“I’m aware,” Jesse rolled his eyes, “I can feel it, ya know.”

“Have you talked to Gabriel lately?”

“No but I was thinkin’ of makin’ a visit.”

“You may want to. This could be a rebellious vampire going against the Council, or it’s a whole new breed. Need to see if Gabe has heard anything.”

Jesse chuckled, “why don’t you go see him yerself?,” he leaned in with a smirk, “I’m sure he misses you too after what happened last time-”

“Shut it,” Jack cut him off, grabbing a hold of him by the shirt.

“Aww, come on Jackie. It’s okay to fall for a vampire’s tricks. I think he really liked you, though.”

“I will throw you across the room if you keep it up.”

More like across the street into the next building, but okay. Point made. He sighed. “I’ll give him a call.”

He was put down. “If you go see him, make sure you’re back in three days.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Read this when you have some free time, which I know you have.” A folder was pushed up against his chest and then the commander walked out of the room. Jesse caught the folder before it fell to the floor, glancing down at the name of the case file. _Subject 33 - Vampire - Hanzo Shimada_. With another roll of the eye, he left the conference room.

_“Jesse! How good to hear from you!”_

He threw the folder onto his bed before pouring some whiskey into a glass of ice.

 _“How’s the werewolf life treating you?”_ Okay, three people knew his secret, perhaps more if he really wanted to count. _“How’s Jack?”_

He snorted while taking a sip as he walked out onto the patio. “He misses you,” he took another sip, “just won’t admit it.”

A throaty laugh came through the phone. Jesse sat down and lit a cigarillo, putting his feet up on the railing. _“_

 _So what’s up? You don’t call to socialize.”_ Gabe knew him well.

“Well, was thinkin’ of makin’ a visit.”

 _“Ohhh. You don’t usually make visits unless it’s something serious_.”

“Figured it’s been awhile.”

_“You lie. But yes, I will be around. You are always welcome in my home.”_

“You sure about that? Amelie isn’t exactly my BFF.”

_“It’s my home, not hers.”_

He glanced at his watch. “I’ll see you in a few hours then, after the sun sets.”

_“Sounds good.”_

        He disconnected the call and puffed on his cigarillo, watching the waves of the ocean below him. Gabe - Gabriel, whatever you wanted to call him, he was a vampire. The _only_ vampire that he couldn’t kill. Probably because he had been the one to find him out on the streets, taking him in and raising him. It wasn’t known for werewolves and vampires to get along, a forever-long war between the two species keeping them from being friendly. However, not all vampires and werewolves were alike. And Gabe certainly wasn’t like all the other vampires. He _was_ royalty, after all. Guy had the money, the status, the ladies _and_ gentlemen, as well as the power. He was said to be one of the strongest vampires of this century. Jesse tried fighting him once. Gabe had him nearly bleeding to death with a few broken limbs and a punctured lung to boot. Never tried fighting him again - even if he _did_ manage to injure the guy. Perhaps that’s where their mutual respect came from. Not many could touch Gabriel Reyes - literally. But Jesse had given him a few cuts and bruises and that was enough to earn his respect. There was also something to be said about Gabe taking in a stray _werewolf_ and providing for him.

        He drank some more whiskey. Gabe didn’t like him going off on his own, didn’t like it even more when he joined the Nightfall Division. But he knew that he couldn’t stay at the house full of vampires for the rest of his life. He didn’t belong, no matter what Gabe said. He had to get out. Maybe find others of his kind. That had been a fucking joke. Turns out werewolves were even more rare than vampires, and they stuck to their packs. Outsiders/strays weren’t exactly welcome. Tipping the glass back to finish what was left, he sighed before getting up, going back inside and grabbing the bottle of Jack Daniel’s. He sat back down, refilling his glass.

        After leaving Gabe’s, he ventured to find others of his kind which proved fruitless. Somewhere along the line, he picked up the job of hunting rebellious vampires - the ones who were out to kill. Job was easy since he could sniff them out, and it paid pretty well. Gabe hadn’t been a fan of that, either. However, murderous vampires needed to be hunted down and stopped. Plus, it wasn’t exactly a job in high demand. Everything had been going fine, working for the government as a liaison with the local police until the night he met Jack Morrison.

        Turns out the two of them had been hunting the same fella - a German warrior turned vampire who was out for revenge for the deaths of his comrades from the war. Jesse could understand the pain and anger, could understand how he lost control of himself, the bloodlust taking over, making him fucking crazy. While he, himself doesn’t have the bloodlust that vampires got, he had his own variation where if he lost control of himself and he shifted, you better fucking run because he would attack with all intent to kill. When he got like that, he wanted blood and flesh - and that was it. Didn’t matter from who or how. If he wasn’t restrained, you were dead. Simple as that. It wasn’t something he could control. Which is why he had tranquilizers. And why he was chained up in the basement of the building during the full moon, when it was always 10 times worse.

        It took both himself and Jack to get the German vampire caught after multiple attempts. Jack is not a normal human, by the way. That asshole is a super soldier, like Captain America mixed with the Hulk with unbelievable strength and agility. He is one guy you didn’t want to get into a fight with because he’d lay you out on your ass in two seconds flat. Also, someone _not_ to arm wrestle with (lesson learned). The fight with the vampire had been tough with the guy being about 8 feet tall and jacked like a motherfucker. It had roused the beast inside of him, making him shift. At the time, it had been terrible, worst-case scenario kind of stuff. But looking back at it, it had been the only way to subdue the giant vampire. Oh, right. Make that four people who knew his secret.

        German vampire, also named Wilhelm Reinhardt or ‘Rein’ as they called him was taken into custody, given treatment and later joined Nightfall Division once stabilized. Jack liked him, he supposed. Liked Jesse too apparently, because that was the day he was shot with a tranq and taken to this very building. He was the first werewolf that Jack and Angela had come into contact with. After allowing the doc to perform some experiments, he was offered a job - along with the security of his true identity. In this day and age, with the rarity of werewolves, if you were found, you would likely spend the rest of your life in a facility where they did tests and experiments on you all the time. Or were outright killed. Knowing that he couldn’t go back to Gabe’s, he took the offer. That was ten years ago.

        He killed the bottle and headed back inside, plopping his ass on the bed while turning the TV on. Ignoring the TV, he opened the folder of the case file. A photo of a man with shoulder-length black hair and sapphire colored eyes stared back at him. For a second, his breath was taken away. _Vampire_ . This kind of beauty was that of only vampires. _Must be nice, jackasses_ . Vampires were always the ‘pretty’ ones - the blood they drink keeping them youthful and exquisite. Werewolves? Not so much. They were the rugged ones, the ‘ugly’ ones as most vamps put it. _Whatever_ . He was cute when he shifted into a fluffy wolf. At least, that’s what he was told…

        He began reading the file. Man was from Japan, rumored to be in the States. Oh. And from the Shimada Clan. That made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, a chill running down his spine. The Shimada Clan vampires were known to be ruthless. They held royalty much like Gabe and they were also part of the Yakuza. So basically ninja-trained vampire assassins. Great fucking combo. They killed vampires and humans alike, didn’t matter what you were, you crossed them or got into their path and you were dead. If he was here in the States, there was a reason and it wasn’t good. The words _Extremely Dangerous_ didn’t need to be put in the file. Why in the blue hell had Jack given him this? Was this his subtle way of saying this was his next target? Because if that was the case, there was no way. No. Fucking. Way. He wasn’t messing with that. Let the man do what he wanted, get what he came for, and let him leave untouched. Less deaths that way.

 _Breaking News. What was known as the Shimada Clan, a division of the yakuza in Hanamura, Japan has been completely wiped out_.

His head snapped up, eyes going to the TV.

_There isn’t a single survivor. It’s unknown as to whether this is an act of retaliation from the local yakuza or if this was just a sudden attack._

He had planned on taking a nap, but what was said next had him on edge.

 _It’s being said that Hanzo Shimada, the eldest son who was to take over the clan for his father is reported as missing. His body was not found on the estate. He is the number one suspect at this current time..._  
  
The same photo from the case file was flashed on the screen. McCree cursed and left his room.

           

       “What the hell is this?! Have you seen the news?!,” Jesse yelled, waving the case file in front of Jack’s face.  
  
“Calm down!,” the commander yelled back, taking the file from him, “yes, I’ve seen the news.”

“When did the rumors of him being in the States come about?”

“This morning.”

“When did this attack actually happen?” When Jack didn’t answer, he shoved him. “Tell me.” His voice had gone low and he was starting to growl. The wolf inside him was stirring.    
  
“Last night,” Jack answered on a heavy breath.

“Fucking hell!,” he threw up his arms and started pacing. As he reached Jack, he shook his head. “I ain’t doin’ this. I ain’t goin’ after him. That’s a death wish.” He went back to pacing. “Ain’t fuckin’ doin’ it, Jack.”

“You’re the best damn hunter out there.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t care. I can’t touch this guy.”

“You don’t know that.”

That made him stop, turn and go up to him. “It took the two of us to take down Rein. This man may be smaller physically but he’s a fuckin’ _ninja_ .” He shook his head. “Me and swords - made out of _silver_ don’t get along too well.”

Jack studied him for a moment. “There’s no one else -”

“Bullshit! There’s a whole mess of vampire hunters now. Let them deal with him. Or better yet, just leave him be.”

“He could be the one who’s committing these murders.”  
  
McCree tilted his head, “I doubt that. Those murders didn’t happen all last night. He can’t be in two places at one time.”

“Four of those murders _are_ from last night and this morning. You’re the only one-”

“Shut up, Jack. I ain’t touchin’ this one. Figure out somethin’ else. I’m going to Gabe’s,” he snatched the photo of the ninja vampire, “ _he_ probably already has a plan in motion. A better plan than this shit.”

He stormed out, making a pit stop back in his room to pack a bag of some clothes, ammo, a handful of tranqs and smokes. He’d pick up a new bottle of whiskey on the way. With keys in hand and the photo of ninja assassin Hanzo Shimada in his back pocket, he left the Nightfall Division facility, his inner beast still stirring within him.


	2. Chapter 2

             The drive from NYC to New Hampshire was a little over five hours due to hitting rush hour traffic. Jesse McCree had called Gabe crazy for settling in such a rural area at first, but now he came to appreciate it. NH was quiet and filled with mostly rednecks who enjoyed drinking beer and doing dumb shit to get a laugh. It was also one of the first states of the Union, so it held a lot of history. Not just for humans, but for vampires as well. It had been one of their first stomping grounds when they came over from England. It was a perfect place to lay low. Gabe would know since he’d been there for over a hundred years now.

             The thought of moving back to NH with Gabe always tempted him. He wouldn’t have to do the vampire hunting thing as an actual job to make money, he could do it just as a hobby. Gabe offered him a room every time he visited. And every time, he contemplated leaving Jack and the Nightfall Division. But he couldn’t do it. He owed Jack for saving him that day with Rein. If he hadn’t tranq’d him, he would’ve went on a murderous rage, possibly attacking Jack, killing him along with Rein. The tranqs had saved him, and continue to do so. Angie’s research has helped him more than Gabe ever could. He couldn’t throw that away. Not to mention, the other vampires that lived in that house were enough to keep him the fuck away which is why he didn’t visit often.

             One thing about NH that he never understood were the off-the-highway liquor stores. But at that moment, he was thrilled. He pulled off, making a pit stop. Once whiskey had been acquired, he called Gabe to let him know he was about twenty minutes out. The vampire sounded different on the phone this time, like something was bothering him. Probably the whole Shimada clan ordeal. God, he hoped like hell that Gabe had a plan and one that _didn’t_ involve him.

             Jesse pulled into the gated driveway, entered the key code and waited for the gate to open. He took a deep breath as he looked at the house - which was more like a goddamn castle. It was a mansion probably worth about two million, taking up acres and acres of land - which NH was full of. The house was surrounded by forest, not another home for at least ten miles. He slowly drove up the long driveway, knowing he was being watched. Gabe always had guards hiding in the shadows. And security cameras. Tons of those. Normally it didn’t bother him but for some reason, tonight he felt nervous. Maybe it was because Jack had gotten him all riled up earlier. Or maybe it was because of the coming full moon. He needed to be careful, especially here.

             He got out of the car, throwing his bag over his shoulder, stopping to look up at the house. Memories flooded his mind. He cursed. Sometimes he hated coming here.

“You just gonna stand out there all night?”

Gabe’s voice brought his attention to the front door. He swallowed, closing the car door. Gargoyles greeted him as he walked up the pathway to the house. He heard a hiss from above and looked up to find Amelie crouching on the roof. Their eyes met and then she took off.

“Ignore her.”

Jesse smiled as he looked at Gabe, removing his cowboy hat out of respect. “She’s as friendly as ever.”

An arm went around him as the vampire came to his side, leading the way inside. “It’s good to see you.” The slightly taller man kissed the top of his head.

“Likewise.” A little bit of tension in his muscles loosened. _Home_.

There was something to be said about returning to the house you grew up in. It was nostalgic, comforting. The sights, the smells, the sounds all brought back memories. It happened every time he came here.

“Come, let’s chat in my office before dinner is served.”

He followed Gabe, who was dressed all in black - leather pants, t-shirt, shitkicker boots and hooded trench coat. _Some things never change_ .  
  
“Ya know, the trench throws the whole ensemble off,” he smiled.

Gabe laughed, “fashion advice coming from the man who dresses like a cowboy from Texas.”

“Hey, I’m from New Mexico, that’s close enough.”

        Another laugh as they entered the massive room he called his _office_ . Just like all the rooms in the house, it had a high ceiling with marble pedestals being used as balancers. The walls were painted a dark maroon color with gold accents. Framed photos of members of Gabe’s bloodline hung around the room, their eyes feeling like they were following him. He took up seat in one of the leather chairs in front of the massive mahogany wood desk. A giant floor to ceiling window was behind the desk, the shades open since the sun had gone down. The warrior-clad vampire sat down, his heels immediately going on top of the desk. Jesse laughed to himself. _So that’s where he got it from_. Gabe pulled out a clean ashtray from a desk drawer along with a pack of Marlboro Reds.

“You still smoke?”

He nodded, pulling out a cigarillo from his shirt pocket. As they lit up, Gabe leaned back in the chair. He may be considered _royalty_ but the guy was anything but a fancy King-like ruler.

“So,” Gabe started, eyeing him, “you doing okay? Jack and Angie taking care of you?”

“Yeah, everything is fine.”

He watched as he took a long drag off the cigarette. “You’re tense.”

“I’m fine.”

“Every time you’ve ever told me that, you were anything but.”

“Gabe, I’m fine. Really.”

The vampire sat forwards, bringing his feet down. “What’s going on, then? You only come here for a reason.”

“Right to the point, eh?”

“Well, I assume you’re not staying long. Full moon is in a couple days.”

“True,” his voice trailed off as he glanced away.  
  
“They still keep you locked up in the basement, chained to the fucking wall?”

Gabe hated what Jack did to him during a full moon. _Hated_ it. Jesse sighed. “It’s fine, Gabe. It needs to be done. I’ve gotten a lot stronger since the last time I shifted while here.”  
  
“Oh, I’m sure you have. I’m sure the desire to feed on human flesh has also grown.”

He raised his eyes to meet Gabe’s. A growl left his throat. “I’m not here to be lectured about my body and its tendencies.”

“Then out with it. Time’s a ticking, son.”

He sighed. “Fifteen murders in the last couple weeks on the outskirts of the city.”

“Ahhh, so that’s what this is about? You want to know if I know anything?”

Gabe wasn’t stupid. Jesse sat back in the chair, crossing a leg across his lap, waiting. The vampire got up, going over to the liquor cabinet a few feet away from the desk. He pulled out two glasses and a bottle of what was likely scotch. Returning to the desk, he put the glasses down and poured a little bit of Johnnie Walker into each one. Scotch, it was. “You still drinkin’ that cheap shit?”  
  
“Hey, JD is my best friend. Leave him alone.”

Gabe laughed, sitting back down and taking a sip. Jesse took his glass, tipping it back. If he could afford such a luxury, he would be drinking this every day. But Jack Daniel’s worked well enough for him.

“I don’t know anything about those murders,” he paused, “yet.”

He looked at him over the rim of the glass.

“I have my people working on it.”

Well, shit. If he didn’t have anything, neither did he or Nightfall Division. He cursed to himself. This visit was pointless. He should’ve just asked over the damn phone instead of wasting his time and gas.

“Is that really why you’re here?,” Gabe asked after a long moment of silence.

“Yep and I guess I’ll be taking my leave now.” Jesse stood up quickly, aggravated with himself. _Waste of fucking time_ . Without realizing it, the folded photo of the ninja vampire fell out of his back pocket. Gabe instantly noticed and did his vampire disappearing act thing - vanishing into thin air and then reappearing in a different spot.  
  
“What’s this?,” Gabe startled him as he materialized right beside him, picking up the photo. _Shit_. He didn’t answer as he unfolded the photo.   
  
“Ahhh, yes. This piece of work.”

“You know him?,” he raised an eyebrow.  
  
“I know _of_ him. Is he why you’re really here?”

“No. I came to see if you knew anythin’ about the murders. This asshole is something that Jack is tryin’ to throw at me to take care of.”

        The vampire beside him threw his head back in laughter. He even slapped his knees. Jesse rolled his eyes, finished the scotch and slammed the glass down on the desk.  “I’ll see myself out. Thanks for the drink.” He picked up his bag and walked towards the door. His skin was itching like crazy, the desire to shift beginning to crawl at him, making it difficult to control.

“Jesse.” Gabe appeared out of nowhere in front of the set of double doors, scaring the shit out of him, making him almost drop his bag.

“Don’t do that shit around me, man,” he breathed.

“Sorry. I forgot that you’re not used to it.”

He shook his head, “what? If you have nothin’ on those murders, I need to get back home.”

Gabe tilted his head, “this is your home.”

Narrowing his eyes, “my _actual_ home.”

“That hurts.”

He let out an annoyed sigh.  
  
“Alright, alright.” He held up the photo of ninja vampire. “This man,” he paused, “needs to be taken out.”

“Great, go do it yourself.”

Gabe blocked his only exit, unless he decided to shift and jump out the window.

“You don’t understand. He killed his entire family and then ran off. He’s _here_ , in the States.”

“I saw the news. Go get him, then.”

“ _Jesse_.”

Gabe’s eyes bore into him. Oh, no. Hell no. He knew what he was trying to do. “Nope,” he tried to walk past him, “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Jack. No. Fucking. Way.”

“It’s against the law for vampires to kill other vampires.”

“You have non-vampire friends. I’m sure Akande can handle him.”

“Jesse.”

“No,” he immediately shot back, standing his ground.

A heavy sigh left Gabe. “Fine. At least have dinner before you leave.”

His stomach growled at the thought of food. “Fine.”

               With the photo of ninja vampire back in his pocket, he felt uneasy, on edge. Gabe was one of the most powerful vampires in the world. Why in the fucking hell was he trying to get _him_ to dispatch an extremely dangerous criminal? Yeah sure, his strength and abilities had grown quite a lot but it always came with a price. Which is why he prevented shifting as much as possible. Gabe nor Jack could ever understand the toll it took on his body. He may have an extended lifespan, but sometimes it felt as though the agony and pain when shifting back to his human form shredded years off that span.

        He sat down at the dining table - which was also mahogany wood and fit about fifteen people. He was surprised it wasn’t bigger, to be honest. Gabe sat at the head, of course. He took his seat beside him as the “special guest”. Amelie sat across from him, on purpose and gave him death stares. He forced himself to smile at her in hopes to piss her off even more. They despised each other equally. She had been there the day that Gabe brought him here. Her hatred for werewolves had always prevented them from forming an actual friendship. Apparently her family had been killed by a pack of werewolves and she was the lone survivor. She held it against him for some godforsaken reason. She wouldn’t admit it, but she was jealous when Gabe came home with him, taking his attention away from her. Also has a weird obsession with spiders. Super creepy.

“Jesse!”

        Arms came around him from behind. He smiled as he turned his head. “Hey darlin’.” The only other vampire in the house that he liked besides Gabe was Sombra. She was the youngest, but maybe the smartest out of all of them. She had been turned by Gabe. It had been the only way to save her life. Good guy Gabe had taken her in a couple years before Jesse had left. But in those short years, they had formed quite the bond. She sat down in the seat next to him.

“You look good,” she pushed some of his hair out of his face, making him laugh.  
  
“Thanks, darlin’. You’re lookin’ pretty well, yourself.”

“Te ves estresado. Todo bien?”

Gabe cleared his throat. The three of them knew Spanish but he preferred they not speak it in front of others who didn’t understand.

“Estoy bien,” he whispered with a smile.

She raised an eyebrow at him just as food was brought out. The smells had his stomach roaring. He piled his plate with meat - steak, chicken, more steak and some potatoes for good measure. And then he ate like he hadn’t eaten in over 24 hours.  
  


        With a stuffed belly, Jesse made his way to the back balcony for a smoke. Exhaustion was taking him, no thanks to the food coma he induced himself with. He smelled Gabe coming up to him before he even saw him.

“Stay the night.”

“I'd really rather not.”

The vampire chuckled. “You brought an overnight bag, you might as well stay.”

He had nothing to say to that. He had brought it just in case, he never intended to actually stay longer than needed. And with the whole trip being pointless, there was nothing keeping him there.

“Sombra would love it if you stayed.”

He glared at Gabe. Bastard using his weakness. He inhaled the night air, smelling the trees in the distance. _Ah, nature_. The air was always different in NH. Clean, crisp. The natural instinct to shift and go roaming in the woods had him puffing on the cigarillo heavily. Suddenly he picked up a different scent. He smiled.

“Sombra.”

There was a giggle before she appeared in front of him, sitting on the railing. She began rambling in Spanish, going on about how she could feel how tense he was and that he needed a massage and a few days of rest. He reminded her the full moon was coming, which made her frown.

“I do have a jacuzzi you know,” Gabe piped up.

“Yeah, and then we can play video games,” Sombra tacked on.

He sighed, looking at them both, not saying anything.

“Come onnnn,” Sombra pleaded, “it's been over a year since I've seen you.”

He closed his eyes, throwing his head back. “Fine. Just tonight.”

She jumped off the railing and hugged him. “I'll get the jacuzzi started!” She then vanished. Gabe laughed, turning to him. “She misses you.”

        He looked up at the sky, the moon bright. It was still unknown as to why or how the moon affected werewolves but dammit, he hated it. He rather enjoyed pretending to be human and living a ‘normal’ life. He'd give anything to keep it that way.

“I'll join you in the jacuzzi if that's alright.”

He looked at Gabe, stubbing out his cigarillo and raised an eyebrow. “I ain't havin’ sex with you.”

The vampire cracked up as they went back inside. “Jesse, you're like a son to me.”

They walked down the hall. “That never stopped you before. May I remind you-”

An arm went around his shoulders, “that was a bad day.”

He let it go. It _had_ been a bad day - night, whatever. Gabe’s bloodlust had gotten the better of him. That was when Jesse learned that blood was _not_ the only thing vampires craved when they lost control of themselves. Gave a whole new meaning to the word blood _lust_ , for damn sure.

         The hot water in the jacuzzi did wonders for his tense body, reminding him that he needed to talk to Jack about having one installed in the facility. Like he would ever go for it... Jesse hung out in the hot tub with Sombra and Gabe for about a couple hours before joining Som in playing some video games at her request. They chatted about what they've been up to, how her skills were improving and how she had been hired by the government as an official ‘hacker’. He didn't ask for details. She was damn handy with a computer and could break through security walls like no one. He supposed they were going to use her to assist in cases that were computer related. Good for her. She had an exceptional skill and was building a career out of it. Hopefully she'd get out of Gabe's ‘good’ graces soon and build her own life. She didn't need to remain there, getting involved with his shady business arrangements. Gabe was a good guy, but he didn't always follow the rules, so to speak.

        After dozing off while fighting some dragons in the game they were playing, Jesse decided to call it a night. Werewolves didn't have the luxury of staying up all night and sleeping during the day. Probably a reason as to why they were sometimes enslaved as vampires’ ‘day guardians’. He had been Gabe's guardian back in the day, though he wasn't technically a slave. Thank God for that.

        He stripped and laid down, looking at that photo of the ninja vampire. Those blue eyes staring back at him…hell, this guy was fucking gorgeous. Most vampires had model-worthy looks but this man…he was beyond stunning with his dark hair, small goatee, strong cheekbones and small lips that looked soft as hell. It wasn't very often that a man grabbed Jesse's attention by looks alone. Sighing, he put the photo down on the nightstand and rolled over. Did that ninja vampire really kill his entire family? No doubt he was capable of such an act, but if he was already destined to take over the Clan, why kill everyone? Did he lose control of himself, bloodlust taking him over? Questions and variables ran through his head as he fell asleep.

    ***************   

        Jesse awoke to his stomach hurting and growling, as if he didn't eat a huge ass meal the night before. Cursing, he got up, got dressed, packed his bag and headed downstairs to the kitchen. As he entered, he came to a halt as Amelie stood in front of the refrigerator. She eyed him and clicked her tongue, cursing in her native French. He rolled his eyes and went straight to the Keurig, popping in a K-cup flavored ‘Donut Shop - Vanilla Creme’ and waited impatiently for it to brew so he could get the fuck out of there.

“I still do not understand why Gabe lets you into this house,” Amelie stated as she walked by him.

“I still don't get why he lets you live here,” he retorted, spotting a box of doughnuts on the counter.

“This isn't a place for,” she paused at the door, “ _dogs_.”

He looked up from picking a glazed doughnut and shoved it into his mouth. “Woof,” he barked in between bites. She gave him a disgusted look before leaving. He couldn't help but laugh. When would she get it that being called a dog didn't bother him? Finishing the doughnut, he grabbed another - this time, a cream filled with chocolate frosting. Boston cream was it? Didn't matter the name, it was delicious. He counted how many of them were in the box, contemplating how many he could eat before getting scolded at.

       “Yo, Jesse.”

The low, very masculine voice had him looking up from the box. He nodded in acknowledgement since his mouth was full. Akande was a big dude, but he never scared him. They weren't best of friends but they weren't enemies either. They did have one thing in common (other than a dislike for Amelie) - they were both were-species. Akande was a weretiger, hailing from Southern Africa. He had been a slave to some rich ass vampires who beat him, raped him and other shit. Nasty stuff. Gabe (the ever good guy) had the vamps arrested and sentenced to the death penalty for their acts, saving Akande and his tribe. Since he had nowhere to go, Gabe offered him a new life in the States. Seemed to be working out pretty well for him.

“You gonna eat all of those?”

He laughed and slid the box across the counter as Akande came in. He then grabbed his coffee and leaned up against the counter, stealing another Boston cream.

“How are you doing? Is New York as much of a shithole as I've been told?”

He laughed again, almost choking. “Pretty much,” he said after swallowing. “Never a dull moment.”

The larger, darker skinned man laughed.

“How's it goin’ here?”

“It is good. Been quiet lately, though. Makes me nervous.”

        Jesse nodded, completely understanding. Quiet was good, until it wasn't. Was that what was making Gabe nervous? Guess it didn’t matter since he never mentioned anything. He drank his coffee, taking one more doughnut while they chatted before walking out of the kitchen. Glancing at his watch, he guessed that if he left now, he would get back home around 1-ish, probably more like 2 if he hit traffic, which he undoubtedly would. Suddenly his skin started tingling, his muscles tensing up. He rolled his neck and shook his arms to loosen them. The wolf was itching to get out. Normally it wasn't this bad. He would get the achy muscles and tight skin but it would wait until the day before the change. He still had about 36 hours.

       “Leaving without saying goodbye?”

Gabe's voice startled him, which it shouldn't have. He should've smelled him coming. Was something wrong with him? He stopped walking towards the door as Gabe came up to him.

“It's not like you to be up and about at eight in the morning.”

“I knew you were gonna jet.”

“Mmhmm.” He rolled his eyes, not believing him.

“I want to talk to you about something before you leave.”

“If you're gonna try to convince me to move back, you're wasting your breath.”

The vampire laughed. “Come, I have some things to discuss.”

So now it was more than one thing? Fucking hell.

“I need more coffee.” He took off to the kitchen, made another coffee, grabbed another doughnut ( _fuck, why was he so hungry?!)_ and then met up with Gabe in his office.

        The shades were drawn in the office because of that big, fiery ball in the sky so the room was dimly lit. Not that it bothered either one of them. Being non-human had some advantages, such as superior eyesight. Jesse plopped down in the chair, leg across the other, sipping his coffee.

“I don’t have any suspects on the murders in NYC but I’ve got Sombra on it. Right now, she’s saying it’s definitely _not_ the work of an actual vampire,” Gabe started, pouring himself a glass of his fancy scotch.

“I could’ve told you that,” he sighed.

“Oh? So you’re a vampire expert right now?”

He rolled his eyes and gave him an annoyed look, making Gabe laugh.

“I’ll keep you posted with updates from Sombra.”

“Appreciate it.”

No leads, but at least this was _something_. Sombra would find what he needed, he had no doubt. Other than that, what did Gabe need to discuss? He hoped like hell it wasn’t Mr. Ninja Vampire again. Just the thought of that guy made him tense, the hair on the back of his neck going up like it had the first time he heard about him.

“Jesse.”

He stared at his coffee. “Don’t mention his name, Gabe,” he warned, “I ain’t messin’ with that shit.”

It was quiet for a minute as he avoided any and all eye contact with him.

“Sombra tracked him last night after you went to sleep.”

“That’s great. Send Akande after him.”

“Goddammit, Jesse!,” a fist met the desk, making him look up towards the vampire, “Akande can’t handle this and you know it!” Gabe’s voice got louder - and angrier - as he spoke.

“He is quite capable of taking down a vampire now. Plus, you have unlimited resources. You can find someone strong enough. You don’t _need_ me!”

“You’re the only one I fucking trust, Jesse!”

He stared at him, his lips parting in shock. That...that was unexpected. Gabe wasn’t one to talk about his _feelings_ and such. Gabe also didn’t trust very many people, so for Jesse to be on that list... that was big. He cleared his throat and looked back down at his coffee.

“Gabe, I appreciate the sentiment, really, I do,” he started and then paused. How was he going to tell him this? It wasn’t so much that he _didn’t_ want to do the job (which he really didn’t want to mess with a ninja but he was willing to deal with it), it was… “I don’t know if I can take him,” he admitted.

Gabe gave him a confused look. “What?”

He sighed, “do I need to repeat myself?”

“Jesse, what makes you think you can’t take him?”

This was not a conversation he wanted to have. He glanced at his watch. Time was a-tickin’. “You’ve done your research, haven’t you? If he is in fact a goddamn _Shimada_ , he’s pretty powerful, Gabe. Along the lines of you. Which means he’s damn near untouchable. Plus, he’s a fucking _ninja_.” He put his mug down on the desk as Gabe lit a cigarette. “And if he’s Shimada, that means he can control the power of dragons. Dragons, Gabe! Goddamn dragons! Have you ever fought a dragon?”

The vampire chuckled, taking a drag off his cigarette.

“You have hundreds of friends and acquaintances who are much more powerful than me-”

“I already told you, you’re the only one I trust. No one else matters,” Gabe cut him off.

This convo was going nowhere. He stood, about to reach for the mug to bring back to the kitchen.

“You’re plenty strong enough,” Gabe also stood, “let’s fight and we’ll see how much you’ve improved.”

“No,” he immediately said, “not right now. It’s too close to the full moon and my body is already on edge. It won’t take much for me to lose what control I barely have on myself.”

Out of nowhere, Gabe disappeared only to materialize right behind him, an arm going around his throat.  “Oh yeah? You havin’ problems with controlling that _demon_ inside of you?”

        He cursed while reaching up, grabbing hold of his arm. Trying to pry that arm was like trying to move a fucking mountain. Maybe he should let Gabe suffocate him long enough so that he passed out. He had no desire to fight, especially with his body acting like this.

“Gabe, let him go,” Sombra said on an annoyed tone as she walked into the office, “he’s unstable already, he doesn’t need your fucking help.”

A sigh and Gabe let go, Jesse almost falling forwards, his hand going to his throat. He eyed Sombra. “Unstable?”

She raised an eyebrow, “you think we wouldn’t notice? Come on, cabron.”

She sat down in his seat and put her tablet on the desk as Gabe sat his ass back down. Jesse watched as Sombra pointed to the screen. Gabe nodded in acknowledgment.

“Well, I mean, I can’t _make_ you do anything,” Gabe looked up at him, “buuut-”

“I don’t owe you anything. I’ve already paid my debt to you,” Jesse eyed him.  
  
“Will you let me finish?”

He put a hand to his hip, another glance to his watch. “I don’t have much time, just fucking tell me.”

“I’ll help you with this Shimada guy.”

He frowned, confusion taking him over. “But you said-”

“I don’t have to _kill_ him, that’s your job. If our assumptions about him being one hell of a powerful vampire are correct, you will need some assistance.”

Him and Gabe working together, side by side? There was an image. “I’ll think about it.”

“I’m afraid there isn’t much time,” Gabe leaned back in his chair, “oh, and Jackie is okay with this plan, too.”

“W-what?”

“I spoke with him last night after you went to bed.”

He blinked. “You what?”

A chuckle, “we had a chat.”

He glanced at Sombra, who shrugged, and then back to Gabe. What the hell…?

“He’s okay with you staying here for a few extra days.”

The anger inside him blew up instantly. “I don’t need _permission_ to stay wherever the fuck I want. I’m a grown man, I’m not your love child that you two can fight over and control.”

“You know that you need someone watching over you during the full moon-”

“I can handle it. I have this thing called tranquilizers - and a set of chains. I know how to tie myself up.”

“Kinky.”

Gabe thought this was hilarious. What the hell was going on? He and Jack were now joining forces to ruin his life even more? He picked his bag up.

“Fuck you,” he spat, “and Jack, too. Go get Shimada yourself. I’m out.”

He quickly turned and booked it before he shifted out of rage. He bolted down the stairs, stopping as he smelled her.

“Where are you going, Jesse?,” Sombra appeared on the steps below him.

“For a fucking walk.”

“So you’re staying?”

“Haven’t decided. I need time to think. I don’t like being treated like I can’t take care of myself. I’m not their fucking toy.”

She sighed, “I know. Gabe knows that, too. He’s just worried about you.”

“I don’t know how many times I need to tell you guys, I’m fucking fine!”

He walked past her and out the front door.

        Once outside, he took in a deep breath. Yeah, vampires couldn’t touch him here. He looked up at the sky. He better watch what he said - clouds were beginning to form like it was about to start raining. _Summer storms_ . He threw his bag into his car and then headed towards the woods - the one place that he felt calmer, like he belonged somewhere. The instant he was surrounded by the trees, he knew he made a mistake. He paused, inhaling. The smell of the pine needles and rain on the horizon, the sound of critters wandering around him, branches snapping. _Shit_ . He glanced down, his hands beginning to shift into paws. _Shit shit shit_. He growled as he tried to shift them back. It was no use. And that’s when he gave in, removing his clothes while he still could. Once naked, he shifted into his wolf form. The cute, fluffy, dangerous wolf. He then took off, running deeper into the woods. He never noticed that he was being watched by a pair of blue eyes. Never smelled him, either. 

 

       The rain came, along with thunder and lightning. But it didn’t bother him. Jesse strolled through the woods, carefree and happy. For a couple of hours, he was able to _not_ think about Gabe, or Jack, or that fucking ninja vampire. But those thoughts eventually came back, haunting him. He sat on a rock and looked around. It was quiet, other than the thunder and rain. He had ventured pretty far into the woods, he wasn’t familiar with this territory. He had roamed these woods plenty of times, but he never strayed too far from Gabe’s house. A branch snapping had him looking around. Even with his heightened eyesight, he saw nothing. Maybe it was just a rabbit or squirrel or something...

        Suddenly he heard a gunshot and that got him running. _Hunters_ . Even in the fucking rain? And this far out? What the hell?! He picked up his speed as there was another gunshot - followed by a howl. That made him stop. A fellow wolf? _Don’t stop, you idiot. Run, run!!_ Natural instinct had him wanting to run, but human feelings had him wanting to find the other wolf. _Run, you fucking idiot!_ A small cry left his mouth and then he took off.

        There hadn’t been another gunshot for a little bit. He looked back while still running, to see if anyone was around. That’s when the trap caught him. He yelped as the trap’s sharp edges dug into his left ankle. He heard a gun go off almost immediately, sounding like an explosion in his ears, and there was nothing he could do. The bullet landed into his chest and he toppled to the ground, crying out in agony. _Fuck!_ If they got a hold of him, he was done for - whether they killed him outright, or brought him back to where they came from. He never anticipated hunters. Not out here. Hell, he had been so stupid. He could hear them coming, their footsteps getting closer. The trap around his ankle was solid, tight as hell. If only he could free his damn leg…

“Do not shift.”

A stranger’s voice made his breathing stop.

“You shift and you will die.”

He remained still as he felt warm hands on his body before they went to his ankle. Panic filled him. Between the hunters, this strange person, and his bleeding, he couldn’t think straight.

“Your leg is free. Can you walk?”

It took him a second to realize what was going on. He then got onto all fours and attempted to take a step forwards. The pain in his chest and his ankle had him yelping, crying out once again. Suddenly he felt his body get lifted up. This person...was saving him? He tried to get a scent off of them, but the smell of his own blood was clouding everything around him. He could feel himself slipping in and out of consciousness. _Fucking hell._ This was not what he had meant by ‘taking a walk’. He should’ve just drove off. Bloody _fucking_ hell.

 

          “Gabe, you didn’t even tell him the most important part,” Sombra sighed as she sat in the chair sideways, her legs draped over one of the arm rests.

He sighed, rubbing the spot between his eyes. “Yeah, I probably should’ve told him that this Shimada guy is here, in NH.”

“Uh...duh!”

“Where did he go anyway?”

“Said he was going for a walk. He probably went into the woods and shifted.”

Gabe cursed. “He’s unstable, huh?”  
  
“Mmhmm. I haven’t seen him like this before.”

“I wonder what Ange and Jack are doing to him. I’ll never understand why he lets them freely experiment and do tests on him.”

“They provide him a place to stay, food, ammo, and something to control the beast.”

“I offer him the same damn things.”

Sombra smiled, “you know when kids turn eighteen and move out?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s like that.” She paused. “Plus, Amelie.”

“He needs to get over her.”

She laughed, “yeah, like that will ever happen.”

“We should go look for him.”

She looked down at her phone. “It’s storming but we’re still not safe.” She shrugged. “Could send Akande.”

Gabe sighed, leaned forwards on his arms. “Go get him.”

Sombra hopped off the chair and disappeared. Gabe rubbed the bridge of his nose again before chugging some Scotch. Fucking Jesse. Always had to have the last word, and he never, _ever_ let him finish. Stubborn little shit…


	3. Chapter 3

        When Jesse came to, the strong scent of an unfamiliar vampire filled his nose. His eyes snapped open and he bolted up, only to cry out in pain, his hand going straight to his lower chest.

“I would not move much. You were badly injured.”

He turned to where the voice came from and froze. Those eyes, that face, those goddamn cheekbones… _Holy fuck!_ The guy everyone wanted him to take out was sitting _right fucking there_ , on the floor, up against the wall. This man was even more gorgeous in person. Was...was he the one who saved him? He didn’t even know what to say, the words vanishing from his brain. He swallowed, forcing himself to look away.

        He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Hell, he needed to calm down. His eyes wandered. Seemed like they were in a small cabin with wooden panel walls, candle sconces on the wall that were lit. He glanced at the window, cursing. He had been out for awhile, the day turning into night. _Shit_. That meant closer to the full moon.

“I need to go,” he said, shoving the blanket off of him.

“You are not going anywhere.”

It was a non-threatening statement but it still made his pulse race as he looked over at the ninja vampire.

“I don’t think you understand bud-,” he paused as he watched the man pick up something from the floor. His wallet.

“Jesse McCree,” he hummed, pulling out his license. He chuckled, looking up from the license over to him. “I’ve heard of you. Gabriel Reyes’ little puppy dog and highly acclaimed vampire hunter.”

He watched as he put the wallet down and picked up one of the tranquilizers, toying with it between his fingers. His eyes went wide. “You went through my shit?”

“Would you rather I left your clothes with your identity in the woods so those hunters could find it?”

He had gone all the way back to get that stuff? He swallowed. “What,” he swallowed again, “what do you want from me?”

A laugh that made his skin crawl came out of the ninja vampire, who was now picking up his jeans. _Shit_. “My, my, what is this?” He pulled the photo of him out of the back pocket, unfolded it and then held it up. In a split second, he was no longer on the floor but rather in Jesse’s lap, pushing him down onto the bed. The vampire leaned into him. “Was I your next target?” He sounded surprised but he was smiling, as if he already knew the answer.

        Jesse wanted to answer him, he really did. But the beast inside of him had other plans, wanting to come out for defense. His back arched, stretching his wound. The pain had him growling, which didn’t help as he fought the shift his body was trying to go through. “I...need...to...go,” he said through gritted teeth.  
  
“Ah yes, the full moon is coming,” the vampire got off of him and went over to the dresser. “They did say you were unstable.”

Who said -? _Gabe and Sombra_. Wait. Had this motherfucker been listening in on their conversation? Had he been there all along? Watching and listening to them? How long had he been here in NH? He took a deep breath once his body settled down...for the moment. While holding his chest, he got off the bed, only to remember his ankle injury as sharp pain (like needles being shoved into him) rose from his ankle up his entire leg. Cursing from the pain, he sat right back down on the edge of the bed.

“I told you, you are not going anywhere.”

“I...have to.” He was out of breath for some reason. Was it because of the pain?  Suddenly he smelled something sweet and spicy. He looked over to where the vampire was standing. He had lit some sort of incense. It was intoxicating, taking over his senses. His vision started getting blurry, his nerves settling, his muscles loosening. It was making his head feel heavy. “What...what is..that,” his words were starting to slur.

“It is to relax you.” He felt warm hands on him, putting his legs back onto the bed and then gently pushing his upper half down. Keeping his eyes open was a task in itself, so he let them close. God, he was so tired now. “There you go,” he heard ninja vampire whisper, “just get some rest. You’re going to be okay.”

        Hanzo found himself still standing there, looking down, even after the man named Jesse McCree was sound asleep. When he had seen him enter the woods earlier, he knew something bad was going to happen. He had wanted to warn him of the hunters, but that would’ve given him away. And when he ran into the trap, it had been too late. He started to cover the werewolf with the blanket only to pause as his eyes caught the bullet wound. From the movement earlier, it was starting to bleed through the bandage.

“Stupid wolf,” he muttered before going to get a new bandage.

        After cleaning the wound for a _third_ time, he put a new bandage on. While the injuries this man received were serious, they weren't life threatening. His werewolf regenerative abilities would have him healed in a couple days. He was lucky though, that bullet had barely missed his organs, mainly hitting muscle. However, he wasn't so lucky with his ankle. The trap had penetrated enough to break the bone. So he wasn't going to be walking for at least three days, two if he was lucky. Hanzo knew the full moon was coming and he had seen the panic in the werewolf's eyes. He was still trying to figure out what to do when that moon hit. Until then, he had other business. Changing into a black T-shirt and jeans, he left the cabin. He knew the werewolf would be out for a while, so he had time. He took off back to the woods, sticking to the shadows and tops of the trees.

 

         “How far did that fucker go?,” Gabe asked, annoyed. They had been walking for at least an hour now with no sign of Jesse.

“He always like to run free,” Sombra stated.

“I can understand that,” Akande piped in, Sombra glancing at him and nodding in agreement.

Gabe had been concerned when Jesse's car was still in his driveway and the sun had gone down. That meant he hadn't left for NY. So he was somewhere in these damn woods. They continued walking, a bad feeling settling in Gabe's gut. This wasn't like Jesse. He always came back. Had he pissed him off that badly? He hadn't meant to make it sound like he was his and Jack's toy, but they all knew, including himself that he needed supervision. Especially if he was unstable, like Sombra said.

“Gabe.” Sombra had stopped walking and when he looked down, he saw why. A hunter's trap was on the ground with blood on it. He bent down, running a finger along the metal prongs. He then licked the blood off his fingertip, sighing.

“It's Jesse's.”

Sombra cursed in Spanish. Gabe didn't think hunters came out this far. Boy was he apparently wrong. If they had captured Jesse, that wasn't good - for anybody. They needed to find him. And fast.

        Hanzo crouched down on the tree branch that was at least fifty feet away as he watched as Gabriel Reyes check the trap that had gotten the werewolf currently sleeping in his bed. He knew Gabriel Reyes would come looking for him. The wolf was his special commodity after all. Perhaps he should've kept a better eye on him, if that was the case. Or maybe not piss him off so much that he took off. As much as he wanted to jump down and confront the vampire, he refrained. It wasn't the right time to approach him. He watched for a moment longer to see the Reyes group head back to their house and then he left to go into town.

 

        Jesse awoke to the smell of food. Whatever it was, it had his stomach rumbling. He sat up slowly, _not_ forgetting about his wounds this time.

“Good. You are awake.”

He looked up from glancing down at the bandage on his chest. Hanzo Shimada had just entered the bedroom wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. His eyes went straight to his chest before following the dragon tattoo that began at his left breast going to his shoulder and down his entire left arm. It was gorgeous. Hell, _he_ was gorgeous. _Vampire, dumbass,_ he had to remind himself. Hanzo unfolded a wooden TV table, putting it beside the bed before walking out of the room. What the hell was going on? This guy wasn't acting like he was a vicious, murderous vampire that just killed his entire family. Jesse was so confused. Even more so when Hanzo returned to the room with a bowl of food and glass of water, putting it down on the table.

“Is that,” Jesse slowly moved his legs over the edge of the bed and leaned his head down, sniffing, “curry?”

“Yes.” Hanzo held out a pair of chopsticks.

He laughed  “Darlin’, I can't use those.”

The vampire raised an eyebrow at him. Whether that was because he slipped the word _darlin’_ or the fact that he didn't know how to use chopsticks, he wasn't sure. He disappeared for a second, returning with a fork and spoon, mumbling something in Japanese. Jesse heard the word “Americans” and chuckled to himself.

“Eat. You need substance. You lost a lot of blood,” Hanzo then said.

“Uhh, thanks.” He began eating and the vampire left the room. Well, this was awkward. But holy shit, this curry was really tasty. And he was thrilled that he had put beef in it instead of chicken or pork. Hanzo was a smart fella. Not that he expected any less. The question was - why was he taking care of him like this? Clearly, he was keeping him alive for some reason. Was he going to try to make him his guardian? He stopped before taking another bite. _Oh God_. He put the fork down. If this motherfucker was going to try to pull that shit on him…

“Do you not like it?”

The vampire's voice startled him, his knees hitting the table. He grabbed hold of the bowl before it went sliding off. Hanzo stood in the doorway, staring at him.

“No, it's uh,” he swallowed the lump in his throat, “it's delicious.”

“Then stop thinking and just eat.”

He almost replied with a ‘yes, sir’, catching himself before he did. He picked up the fork and went back to eating.

         Hanzo laughed to himself as he went back into the kitchen. That wolf was pretty amusing. The poor guy had no idea why he was here, or why he had been saved in the first place. Which had been a bit of a shock to himself as well. It had been a last minute decision and damn him, but he wasn't going to watch someone get killed or captured like that - especially a werewolf where they'd just do a shit ton of experiments on. He didn't really like werewolves but he didn't have anything against them either. Just preferred to keep his distance from them. However, this one named Jesse McCree was different. He smelled different, acted different, and after seeing him shift…he found himself quite attracted to the guy. But his smell…especially when he was bleeding and when he was cleaning the wounds, Hanzo had found it _extremely_ difficult to not have a small taste. There was something off, something obscure about his blood. Either he was from the original lineage of werewolves or there was something else mixed with that blood. No matter the case, he smelled exquisite and not latching onto his neck was proving to be more and more difficult.

        He needed to figure out a plan though. Taking in the werewolf had been a terrible idea from the beginning, especially since the full moon was coming. He could sense _and_ feel the panic inside of Jesse, which made him slightly nervous. Could he subdue him? Could he keep him contained? His lips curled into a half smile while he cleaned up the mess he made from cooking. Knowing that the werewolf was afraid of him made this whole thing entertaining. Add on the fact that Jesse didn’t know that he knew of this fear made it even more so. He felt kinda cruel about it - about hiding in the shadows and eavesdropping on the conversations between Gabriel Reyes and the werewolf. He knew from the beginning that they were trying to get Jesse to take him out. He _had_ been his next target, but the werewolf had no desire to come after him. He was scared out of his damn mind. And that look on his face when woke up for the first time. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Care to share what’s so funny?”

The werewolf’s voice had him jumping - to the ceiling. A hiss came out of his mouth as he looked down at Jesse, who was standing on one foot with an empty bowl in hand.

“Don’t,” he snarled, “sneak up on a vampire.”

The werewolf looked up and laughed, “aren’t you guys supposed to hear someone comin’?”

Hanzo dropped to the floor, landing right in front of him. “Yes-”

“Must’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout somethin’ real good if you were that distracted.”

“Urasai.”

Another laugh. “I’m guessin’ you’re tellin’ me to shut up.”

“Yes,” he hissed, his eyes wandering over the werewolf’s body. He held back from inhaling deeply, his nose already filled with his scent. “What the hell are you doing walking around anyway?”

“I ain’t one to be leavin’ a mess. Plus, wanted to see if you had more by chance.”

He snatched the bowl from his hand, “sit.” This guy… he shook his head and went to the pot on the stove.

        Jesse sat down at the small table in the kitchen, looking around. If anything, this cabin was pretty cozy. His assumption that this was a quick on-the-go safe house was proving to be wrong. It looked and felt like the ninja vampire stayed here often. Which posed more questions - did that mean he knew Gabe had settled here? Who tipped him off? Was he actually here for Gabe? In his examining of the kitchen, he noticed an empty bowl on the table. As the vampire put his bowl down in front of him, he glanced up at him.  
  
“You ate by yourself?,” he asked.

“Yes.” He picked up the empty bowl and Jesse watched as he refilled it. As he sat down across from him, he let the conversation die, picking up his fork.

After a few minutes, he couldn't take it anymore. “This is the best curry I’ve ever had,” he admitted, not liking the silence.

“I doubt you’ve ever had another kind.”

“I have too! I’ve had thai curry-”  
  
“That’s completely different.”

“I know that.”  
  
The vampire raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Hey, I’ve been to Japan a couple times,” Jesse stated. The eyebrow didn’t go down and it made him laugh. “Though, I’ve never met anyone like you there.”

“You wouldn’t,” he went back to eating.

He cleared his throat, debating on how much he should say, how much he should push. He wasn’t exactly in a good position. Injured and _unstable_ , as Sombra put it, in a house with the one guy he didn’t want to mess with. Even though he seemed pretty easy going, he knew there was something hiding underneath this act he was putting on. One slip up and Jesse would find himself in a bigger mess than what he already was.

“Do you always stop and dwell in the middle of eating?”

“Oh,” he blinked, realizing he had stopped moving altogether, “not normally, no.”

The vampire sat back and sighed. “You have questions and you’re afraid to ask, I know.”

 _Fucking vampires_. “I’m trying not to be rude here,” he put his fork down, “you did save my ass so I owe you that at least.”

“Just stop talking and eat. I made extra for a reason.”

He lowered his brows as he studied him. “Fine. But answer one thing for me.” When there was no objection, he decided to go with it. “Did you kill your family like they say?”

“No.”

There wasn’t even hesitation in his answer.

“So you’re runnin’, because they’re accusin’ you of it.” It was more of a statement than a question. Hanzo didn’t answer it anyway. “Someone’s settin’ you up.” He picked up his fork. “Cuz killin’ that many of your own kind is grounds for automatic death.”  
  
“You don’t shut up, do you?”

He laughed while taking a bite. “You should see me drunk.”

“I’d rather not.”

The vampire finished his bowl, got up and began washing it. Jesse sighed, realizing that he _did_ talk a lot sometimes. The strange thing about it was that he felt comfortable sitting there, eating and chatting with this guy. Even without alcohol, he felt like he could go on all night carrying on a conversation with him - even if he didn’t say much. 

        So, he _didn’t_ kill his family. As he suspected. Family meant a lot to the were-species and vampires. It was all about those damn bloodlines. _Family_. Pfft, what a fucking joke, now that he thought about. His own had abandoned him. He looked at the backside of Hanzo. Maybe he was lying, maybe he did kill his own family. But he couldn’t imagine being so calm after going on a killing rampage. This guy was damn hard to figure out. Giving up, he went back to eating.

“If you were not going to believe me, then why bother asking?,” the vampire suddenly asked.

 _Fucking vampires_. “Get the hell out of my head, bloodsucker.”

There was a chuckle, making him bring his head up to glance over at him. He was reminded as to why he hated living with vampires, why he hated being around them for long. The annoyance started rousing the beast within him. Another reminder that he needed to get the fuck out of there. He stood, holding back the groan from the pain.

“I’m not sure what your goal is, but while you saved me and took care of me, I ain’t becomin’ your goddamn guardian. I appreciate what you did, truly, but I need to go. So, thank you for what you’ve done. I’ll owe you one someday, but not today or tomorrow.” 

He grabbed his bowl, hopped over to the sink and put it in before hopping back to the bedroom. For once in his life, he wanted crutches. He wondered if it would be easier to just shift and head back that way. But he needed his wallet and the 2 tranqs he had in his pocket of his jeans. As he bent down to grab his shirt, he felt a breeze, and sighed. _Fucking vampires_.

“You cannot go back out there like this,” Hanzo advised, materializing in front of him.

“Well, I’m certainly not stayin’ here.” He gave up on putting the shirt on. “You can take your concern elsewhere.”

The vampire sighed, going over to the dresser.

“Oh no,” Jesse hopped over, grabbing his arm, “you ain’t lightin’ more of that incense shit.”

Hanzo reacted defensively, taking hold of him and spinning him around, holding his arm behind his back, seconds from breaking it. He should’ve seen that coming. A chuckle came out of him. But then he felt the vampire’s warm breath on his neck and he instantly tensed.

“Why do you smell so different?” Hanzo’s voice had gone deeper, darker in a sense. _Shit_.

“You bite me and I will rip your fucking head off,” he threatened.

Suddenly the vampire laughed. “No you won’t. You’re terrified of me. You said it yourself, you can’t take me.”

Wait...what? He was let go and he stumbled forwards, looking back at him, wide-eyed. “What the hell are you talkin’ about? How do you know that?!,” he shouted.

Hanzo’s hands went to his hips as he licked his lips with a devious smile on his face. “I guess I should tell you.”

“Tell me _what_?!,” he snarled, the beast making him growl.

“I’ve been spying on you and Gabriel Reyes.”

It took a second to register. “ _What?!_ ”


	4. Chapter 4

        Hanzo paused as the werewolf’s eyes flashed red. Werewolves eyes didn’t turn red... what the _hell_ was this guy?! Another growl before he began panting, his body trembling. He was on the verge of shifting.   
  
“Calm down,” he sighed.

“Don’t fuckin’ tell me to _calm down_!”

“Shifting right now would not be wise.”

“What the hell would you know?! You’re a goddamn bloodsucker!”

He hissed. He hated being called a bloodsucker. Especially from the likes of a damn dog. He knew this was going to happen. From the second he decided to save this asshole, he knew this moment was going to come. He didn’t want to fight him, had no interest, but if he was going to be pushed into a corner… Hell, he needed to light the incense. Needed to get this guy to calm the hell down. But if he saw him trying to do it, he would shift and charge him. Guess it was time to make the first move. He quickly took the couple steps up to the werewolf, too fast for his eyes to see and wrapped an arm around him, pulled his back up against his chest.

“I will _make_ you calm down, shifter.”

With his other hand, he held down his head to one side, exposing his neck. Before he could fight back, Hanzo dug his fangs into his vein. The second his blood touched his tongue, he knew _immediately_ what this man’s secret was. Shock had him pushing the wolf onto the bed and stepping away, his fingertips going to his lips. That one pull on his neck and Hanzo discovered why he was so special, why Gabriel Reyes took him in, why he couldn’t be left alone.

        Jesse held his hand up to his neck, glaring at Hanzo, who looked stunned. He struggled to sit up. “You could at least close the fucking marks.”

After a few seconds, as if the vampire was coming back to reality, he walked up to the bed. Jesse managed to stand up in front of him and noticed the height difference between them for the first time. He was at least a couple inches taller than the vampire. Hanzo’s mouth was right at the height of his neck and shoulders. _Of course_. Their eyes met as he looked down at him. It was an odd moment of understanding, clarity. The tension between them seemed to diminish a little.

“I guess we all have our secrets,” Hanzo softly said, his hand covering his as he gently pulled it away from his still-bleeding neck.

Jesse could see it in his eyes - he wanted more, even as tainted as it was.  “Go ahead,” he sighed, “I owe you, I suppose.”

“No.” He seemed to be returning to his normal, harsh self. Until he ran his tongue across the marks to close them. He paused, his mouth lingering above his neck. That’s when Jesse realized the vampire was still holding his hand.   
  
“Just do it. It’ll probably be the only time I ever offer it.”

He didn’t know what it was, but in that moment, he _wanted_ him to bite him. Wanted to feel his body pressed up against his, wanted to hear him moan in pleasure as he drank _his_ blood. _Shit_ . Was he getting hard? His lower body was aching for sure, desperate to feel more of this vampire. Not only had he _never_ reacted like this to a vampire even under their spell, but he could tell that Hanzo wasn’t even trying to seduce him, wasn’t doing that vampire-hypnotize thing. Which meant Jesse’s body was reacting all on its own. _Jesus Christ_ . He should push him away now that the marks were closed. Suddenly Hanzo’s other hand ran up his arm to the other side of his neck. A chill ran up his spine and he bit his lip.  
  
“Cut...the...shit,” he muttered, “either,” he paused as the vampire’s fingers intertwined with his, “bite me or get the hell away from me.”

“You’re dripping with lust,” Hanzo murmured, “with desire.”

“Stop using your fucking powers.”

“I’m not and you know it.”

“Just bite me already.” Oh God, how he needed a drink and a smoke. And to get away from him.

“Say please.”

That was it. He yanked his hand out of his and shoved him away. Hanzo laughed, lifting his head up. “Nice boner.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Jesse hopped over to the pile of his things, grabbed his jeans (that he knew he should’ve put on besides just his boxers), and went into the back pocket, pulling out the small pack of cigarillos. Disregarding the vampire entirely, he snatched the lighter off the dresser and wobbled his way to the front door.

        He eased his ass down onto the stairs that led up to the main door of the house and lit a cigarillo. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. That piece of shit vampire was playing him and playing him good. He should’ve known. Vampires were always two-timers, always in it for the laugh, for the embarrassment. They loved making their victims play-things, entertaining their every desire while having them under their spell - all for their amusement. He sighed, putting his head down with his free hand going to the back, grabbing his hair. _Fuck!_ He was such a goddamn fool. To even allow himself to get that way in front of a vampire… Hell, he never acted like that around Gabe or Sombra, or any of Gabe’s ‘friends’ that showed up for whatever party he was throwing. And now this asshole knew his secret, too. He heard the front door open and sighed.

“I am sorry,” the vampire said, sitting down next to him.

“Just...shut up.”

He had no desire to talk to him, or be near him for that matter. No matter how sincere he sounded. To his surprise, Hanzo didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he heard the lighter flick and then he smelled cigarette smoke. He kept his head down, taking a deep breath. Other than the smell of their smokes, rain was still in the air.

        They sat there in silence, the only sounds being the insects of the forest at night. Jesse was growing sleepy, even though he had slept most of the day. His body ached from the pain of his injuries and from the little stunt the shithead sitting next to him pulled. In other words, he was a goddamn mess and he wanted nothing but to just be home, secluded in his own room, in his own bed. He had all intentions of leaving Gabe’s that morning and then everything went to shit. And here he was, sitting beside the one guy Gabe and Jack wanted him to kill. The world was a cruel, cruel place.

“Have you ever looked up at the moon when it was close to being full?” The vampire caught him off guard with the question and he raised his head slowly. “It’s rather beautiful.”

“It turns me into a monster. Yeah, fucking beautiful alright,” he scoffed.

A small sigh left Hanzo. “I’m guessing it’s different for you because of your blood.” There was no sarcasm or attitude behind his words.

“There’s a reason why they chain me up in the basement for three days, sometimes four, depending on how bad it is.”

He looked up. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky and the moon was bright, so close to being full. Jesse couldn’t deny that he didn’t feel it in his veins. It was probably why he was so on edge and acting so weird lately. Maybe that’s why he had reacted the way he did to Hanzo earlier…

“You think that’s why you were abandoned?,” the vampire asked, making him look in his direction.   
  
“Exactly how much do you know about me?”

He laughed, “I could ask the same to you, you know.”

“Yeah? I’ve only known about you for a couple days. I had never even heard your name before Tuesday.” Today _was_ Thursday, right? He cursed to himself, he was losing track of time. “All I know is that you’re a Shimada, have the power of dragons and you are a very powerful vampire.”

“Smart man.”

“Yeah,” he laughed, “so smart I’m sitting next to you as your enemy.”

“We are not enemies,” Hanzo stated, “unless you want to be.”

He considered. “You pull that shit you did in the bedroom again and we will be.”

“I _am_ sorry about that.” Their eyes met. “I will be honest with you.” He turned towards him. “I only made it seem like I was toying with you because it was starting to get too serious.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Then don’t, but it’s the truth.”

He looked away from him. Was he trying to say that he had made light of the situation because he was starting to get turned on as well? Yeah...right. Highly unlikely. It grew quiet again. Hanzo lit another cigarette.   
  
“You got any alcohol?,” Jesse asked, desperate.

“Perhaps.”

He rolled his eyes. This guy was so...difficult. Suddenly the vampire got up and went back inside. Jesse cursed aloud. What the hell was this? _We are not enemies_ . Last time he checked, they were. Well, he thought they were. Then again, from that first moment in the woods with him trapped, Hanzo never attempted to kill or injure him. It was rather the opposite. Maybe they _weren’t_ actual enemies?  The front door closing had his thoughts disappearing. Ninja vampire sat down, two glasses of ice and a bottle of liquor in hand.   
  
“You would probably prefer this over sake,” he stated, handing him a glass.  He then opened the bottle and began pouring. Jesse tried reading the label but it was in Japanese.  “Japanese whiskey,” Hanzo advised as he poured his own glass. He then put the bottle down and turned to him again. “Shall we toast?”  
  
“To what?,” he scoffed, annoyed.

“Hmm.” The vampire looked away, contemplating.

Jesse sighed. He had to give the guy _some_ credit. He had rescued him from the trap, in turn saving his life. He took care of his wounds, made him get rest, and then made him dinner - a hearty one at that. And he hadn’t tried to kill him...yet. Another sigh and he tapped his glass against the vampire’s. “To you making it out of this full moon alive.” He watched as Hanzo looked at him and smiled while he took a sip of this foreign whiskey. The vampire nodded and tipped his glass back against his lips. 

 

        Jesse lost count of how many glasses of that tasty Japanese whiskey he had. It must’ve been quite a few because he couldn’t stand nor walk - and it wasn’t just because of his injuries.

“I take back my remark about you being smart,” Hanzo said as he took hold of him and helped him up.

Jesse giggled…a lovely side effect of him being drunk. “You’re funny.”

“Hilarious.” The vampire sighed as he gave in and picked him up instead of trying to help him walk. He was still giggling, even as he put an arm around Hanzo’s shoulders and leaned in close to him as Hanzo made his way to the bedroom. Suddenly the giggling stopped.

“Fuck,” Jesse said as he inhaled, “you smell so good.” Hanzo’s body stiffened for a brief second, but it was long enough for him to notice. He smiled and reached up, taking hold of the vampire’s hair elastic and tugging down on it, pulling it out. “Hell, you’re so hot.” He put the elastic around his wrist before running his fingers through his hair. Hanzo tried to hold in a gasp.  
  
“You’re intoxicated,” the vampire said before tossing him onto the bed.

“It’s your fault.” He tried to sit up but failed and fell back, hitting his head on the headboard. _Shit, that hurt._

Hanzo shook his head as he stood beside the bed, watching him. “You’re ridiculous. No wonder you need to be supervised.”

“Shut up, I’m not a child.”

“You sure about that?”

Jesse finally managed to sit up, pushing himself up against the headboard for balance. “I don’t need those two bastards watchin’ over me day and night, actin’ like I’m going to go AWOL and kill everyone in sight.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “Then why do you stay?”

“What choice do I have?,” the werewolf threw an arm up in defeat.

“There’s always a choice.”

“If you’re not a werewolf with _demon_ blood inside of you, maybe.” His secret, the one thing that only Gabe, Jack, and Angela knew, well maybe a couple others. His  _big_ secret... He looked at Hanzo, seeing double thanks to the alcohol. And now this jackass knew. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, rubbing them. “Plus I owe them.”  
  
“Have you not given them enough? Just because you’re a werewolf does not mean you need to give your life to them.” Hanzo sat down on the bed.

Jesse put his head back. “Which brings up the question again as to how you know so much about me?”

“I did my research,” he shrugged.

“How did you know I was afraid of you?”

“I heard you talking to Gabriel about it.”

“That was during the day. How’d you manage that?”

“I have my ways.”

        Jesse ran a hand through his hair, opening his eyes and looking up at the ceiling. God, he got chatty when he drank. But the vampire was talking too. He glanced at him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, sipping from his glass. Stupid vampires and their tolerance for alcohol. He wanted more, but he couldn’t move to get it.

“Are you cutting me off?”

Hanzo looked over at him. “Do you really need more?”

“If we’re continuing this conversation, then yes.”

A laugh. “You were right about you getting drunk.”

“I’m usually always right.”

The vampire got up, laughing again. He left the room and returned moments later with the bottle. “Here.” He held out a glass with fresh ice. Jesse pulled away from the headboard as whiskey was poured into his glass. “Thanks,” he grinned before leaning back, taking a sip. "This stuff ain’t half bad.”

“Must not be since you’ve drank almost half the bottle on your own.”

He shrugged, “I like whiskey.”

        It got quiet and Jesse found himself staring at the vampire. His hair was still down, and unfortunately he was still sexy as hell. His mind went back to when he bit him, pulling back immediately as soon as he tasted his corrupted blood. But then he had wanted more...and when he closed the bite marks… He quickly took another sip, thankful that his cheeks were already flushed from the booze so that Hanzo wouldn’t notice him blushing.

“Why are you here, in NH? Are you after Gabe?,” he blurted out, hoping that discussing something unpleasant would get his mind off of feeling his fangs pierce his skin again.

“I’m not _after_ Gabriel,” Hanzo got off the bed and walked over to the window.

“Then why are you here?”

“Well, I obviously cannot be in Japan right now.”

“You were following Gabe.”

There was a sigh. “I had come to NH decades ago in search of Gabriel after hearing he was here. I never did find him until a couple years back.”

“Why?”

Hanzo looked at him.

“Why do you want to see him?”

He went back to staring out the window. “At first it was because I had an order to kill him.” Jesse cursed. “I _am_ an assassin.”

“I...I know that.”

“There are a lot of things that you do _not_ know. Despite the fact that I’m the main suspect in my family’s deaths, it may actually be a godsend that they were killed.”

“What? Why would you say that? Isn’t family important and shit to you bloodsuckers?”

Hanzo turned to glare at him, “Can you _not_ call me that?”

“Ohhh, does that bother you?,” Jesse chuckled.

The vampire did his disappearing act, reappearing on the bed, scaring the shit out of him and making him tip his glass, spilling the whiskey.

“Look what you did,” he pointed to his belly, looking down to where the whiskey had dripped.

Out of nowhere, Hanzo’s head went down as he licked the whiskey off of his skin, making Jesse gasp and throw his head back, hitting the goddamn headboard again.  

“Don’t,” he breathed.

“Don’t what?” The glass was taken from him. He sucked in a breath as he felt cold liquid drip onto his shoulder, running down the front, down his chest.

He cursed. “What are you doing?”

“This.”

The vampire waited until the whiskey reached his belly before running his tongue up his body, licking the whiskey. He gritted his teeth to refrain from moaning.

“You drunk, vampire?,” Jesse asked, releasing the grip he had on the sheets.

“Not yet.”

“Then what the hell are you doing?”

Hanzo went to his knees, inching closer to him. “It’s been a long time since I’ve found someone attractive.”

“Pffft, stop with your bullshit.”

“Just can’t take a compliment, can you?”

He eyed him and brought his hands up to push him back. Next thing he knew, the vampire was in his lap, holding his arms up against the headboard. _Fuck_ , _this was hot_. He swallowed.

“This isn’t fair,” he said, “I’m drunk and you’re not. You have the upper hand,” he tilted his head back, “literally.”

Hanzo giggled before leaning into him, his chest pressing up against his as he dipped his face into the crook of his neck. “Is your offer still on the table?”

Jesse tensed as the vampire ran his tongue across his skin. “What’s in it for me?”

“The night of your life.” There wasn’t even hesitation in his response.  
  
He swallowed again. “What about the fucking bullet wound in my chest?”

That made him pull back and look at him. “I’ll make sure you don’t feel anything other than pleasure.”

        He supposed he could do that with his vampire powers. Jesse sat there, debating. He was tempted, that was for damn sure. Forget that Hanzo was a vampire, a ninja, and no matter which angle you looked at it from - his enemy, the guy was irresistible. Smooth, sexy, dangerous. But, he was drunk and he always vowed to himself to not have sex while intoxicated.

“I don’t know why you want my tainted blood so badly, but if you must,” he started, “then feel free, but I won’t have sex with you while drunk.”

“Have you ever willingly let a vampire bite you?”

The question was odd and had him thinking. Hanzo suddenly got off the bed, and lit a couple sticks of that weird-ass incense.

“I’m already drunk, I don’t need -,” he began.

“Shhh,” The vampire was back in his lap as quickly as he had left. A hand went to his face, pushing some hair behind his ear. “It’s to keep you relaxed and calm. Your blood pressure is through the roof.”

He tilted his head, “I wonder why, you fucking cock tease.”

Hanzo grinned, leaning his chest into his as he lifted himself off his lap a little, allowing room for his hand as he took hold of the already-hard length between his legs. His head went back, a moan escaping his mouth. Warm breath brushed against his throat, traveling over to the side of his neck. “Now you can call me a cock tease.”

“Bastard,” Jesse breathed.

There was a chuckle, “now answer my question.”  
  
“What question?” He felt the wetness of his tongue on his skin again. _Oh God._  
  
“Have you ever willingly let a vampire bite you? There is a difference between giving yourself up and just having it taken from you.”

“I have no idea. I can’t remember.” 

“This is something you would not forget.”

“Hell, I don’t know,” he sighed, “I think Gabe’s the only one who has bitten me. I’m not exactly on the top of the menu for you guys.”

“Mmm,” he hummed, “they’re missing out.”  
  
“Or you’re just crazy.”

Hanzo laughed, “that is a possibility.”

Fangs grazed across his neck. Jesse had no idea why he was letting this happen. But he couldn’t say no, and he _still_ wanted to feel him bite him again. Perhaps he was the crazy one. He wasn’t sure what the ‘difference’ was, but he sure was about to find out, wasn’t he? Oh, Lord have mercy on his fucked up soul.

“Remember to breathe,” the vampire whispered.

“I got that cover-”

Fangs dug into him and unlike earlier, he cried out, his back arching on its own, pushing his chest outwards. Hanzo didn’t miss a beat. His arm wrapped around him and held him up against his body. Each pull on his neck had Jesse feeling more and more drunk, as if he was being drugged. Every inch of his body felt like it was melting into Hanzo. His skin tingled, his whole body going sensitive. _Oh God_ . He felt so good, but so desperate to be touched, to be kissed.  He now understood why people gave up their necks to vamps. And why sex was usually involved. He was so turned on (no thanks to previous actions), he wanted more - of everything. Of _him_.

“Jesse,” Hanzo breathed, his tongue running across the marks, closing them and then pulling back so that their eyes could meet. That was the first time he said his name (outside of reading his license), and God help him, but it sounded _so good_ in his voice. After staring at each other for a minute, it was over. Their mouths met in a rough, passionate kiss which turned into more as Hanzo pulled him down onto the bed.


	5. Chapter 5

           Jesse awoke to a splitting headache, his whole body aching and sore - a reminder of last night's activities, also of being shot. Aaaand that his time was up for that month. He  _ needed _ to get the hell out of there. But part of him didn't want to leave, and he really had no desire to go back to Gabe's. He slowly sat up, rubbing his face and eyes before running a hand through his hair. The clock on the dresser read 11:34. Fuck. He never slept in this late. He looked around, it was nearly pitch black in the room. The window in the bedroom had a shade drawn. He raised an eyebrow. Automatic shades? He assumed the rest of the windows in the cabin had them. His stomach growled, pulling his attention away from the windows. He needed food. With a sigh, he began to get off the bed, stopping when a hand grabbed his arm.

“Do not go.” 

He looked down beside him. The vampire was laying there, staring up at him with concerned eyes. Still gorgeous though, of course. 

“I need to take a leak,” he said, getting up, the hand falling off of him. Oh God, he was hungover something fierce. Walking on his bad ankle while like this was proving to be quite a challenge. But he finally made it, closing the bathroom door behind him. He took care of business and then found himself staring at his reflection in the cabinet mirror above the sink. His fingers went to his neck. The bite marks had already healed however, he looked like hell. Felt like it, too. His head was throbbing and the beast was roaring inside of him, feeling like it was trying to crawl out of him, tearing his insides up. He leaned on the sink, putting his head down taking a deep breath. He was not ready for this, never really was. As if to spite him, he began coughing as his hands began shifting.  _ Not now _ . He let go of the sink, realizing he was about to break it and looked up to find his eyes bright red.  _ Shit _ . His head was spinning and the coughing got worse. He held his chest before he coughed so hard, he spit out blood into the sink. 

“Jesse?” 

Heavens. Hearing his name on his voice still made his heart sing. And it brought him back to earth for a moment. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm the beast. “I'm fine.” His own voice was rough, harsh. God, this combo of being hungover on the day of the full moon was pure hell. He needed ibuprofen - stat. Not normally a fan of going through other people's things, he cast that aside as he opened the cabinet.  _ Please have something _ . Various shaving and first aid items and then - bingo! A giant bottle of ibuprofen. Praise the gods. “I'm stealing some of your ibuprofen!,” he shouted before opening the bottle and swallowing four - or five pills, he didn't count. He then opened the door, a little surprised to find Hanzo not standing there. Alright, first thing first: coffee. Pleeeease let him have coffee in this house. He wandered into the kitchen, where the vampire happened to be. There happened to be a pot of coffee brewing.  _ Thank God _ . 

“I am guessing you are hungry,” Hanzo stated as he began rummaging through cabinets. 

“I'm always hungry,” he replied, sitting down at the table, “but you don't gotta make me breakfast. I really should leave.” 

“You need to rest and heal.” He put a frying pan on the stove before going over to the refrigerator. 

“I'm fine.” 

“Like you were in the bathroom?” 

Jesse sighed, holding his head in his hands with his elbows on the table. He knew what was best in this situation and he was getting tired of defending himself. Closing his eyes, he imagined being back home in NYC, locked in his room. That made him think of Jack, which led to what Gabe said. His body tensed at the thought of them. How was he going to explain what happened? Knowing Gabe, he probably went searching for him, probably found the trap with his blood on it. How in the blue hell was he going to explain being saved by the Shimada vampire? It wasn't like he could hide that important detail. Gabe had terrific mind-reading powers, when used anyway. And if he knew he was lying or hiding something, he would _definitely_ use them on him. Then he would also learn that he _ slept _ with the guy, too. Bloody fucking hell. He jumped at the sound of a thud on the table and the feel of a hand on his back. 

“It will be okay.” 

He sighed, taking hold of the mug filled with coffee. “You are greatly underestimating the situation.”

“I am not afraid of you.” 

Jesse looked up from the coffee towards the vampire. “You should be.” Hanzo chuckled before going back to the stove. He shook his head, taking a sip of the coffee. “I know you're all powerful and shit but if I scare Gabe during the full moon, then I will likely scare you as well.” 

“I have dealt with werewolves before.” 

“I ain't like other werewolves.” 

There was a quick glare from Hanzo. “I am well aware.”

He huffed at him and then sniffed. Was that...bacon? His mouth began watering while his stomach rumbled. He drank his coffee to try to settle it (and failing). It grew quiet between them. Jesse watched Hanzo cook, wondering if there was some other reason that he was keeping him there. He doubted it was for anything related to sex, no matter how good it was. The two of them could never be ‘together’. And he doubted he was looking for a friend. He had said he wasn't after Gabe, but it sounded like he wanted to meet up with him or something. Was he using him to get closer to Gabe maybe? If that was the case, then why didn't he just bring him back last night? What the hell was this guy's motive? Was he waiting for the whole family-murders thing to blow over? A plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast was put down in front of him. He thanked him before beginning to eat as Hanzo joined him.

“Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?,” Jesse asked in between bites.

The vampire shrugged, not stopping from eating to answer him. He was such a weird fella. A fucking hot one, though. His mind went to last night. It had definitely been the best sex he'd ever had, no question. Did he want it again? Of course. Would he do it again? Absolutely not. Getting involved was dangerous, especially if it was  _ him _ . No matter how good he felt inside of him, or on top of him…his mind wandered…damn, they had done it in so many positions, ones he never even thought of. He remembered when the vampire had taken him from behind, holding his arms behind his back…he started choking on some bacon. He sat back, hitting his chest as he cleared his airways. 

“You alright there?,” Hanzo asked, a smirk on his face.

“Fine,” he answered.

“You're blushing.” 

He eyed him. He was still smirking. “Don't get any ideas.” 

“Oh I already have.” 

He rolled his eyes. “Unless you want to provoke the shift early, stay the hell away from me.” 

Hanzo finished eating, getting up to put his plate away. He sighed and went back to eating. This man was dangerous…for other reasons. Suddenly the vampire came up behind him, his hands going to his shoulders. “So tense,” he murmured as he started massaging him, “are you always like this or is it the full moon?”

“Always,” he answered with a heavy breath.. Hell, this felt good. But it was unwanted. Hanzo needed to stop…thumbs went to the back of his neck, pressing hard.  _ Ohhhh.  _ Yep. He hated him. He hated this ninja vampire  _ so _ much. How could one person be so terrifying yet so...so...he couldn’t even think of the damn word. His mind was in such a jumble. Out of nowhere though, the beast in him roared. It was just like in the bathroom. He pushed his chair back, gripping the table as he put his head down, closing his eyes in an attempt to fight it. But it was useless. His skin got tight, his muscles tensed, his body began overheating. Rage and hunger flowed through him, making him growl. He could feel the demon blood boiling hot inside of him, ready to explode. There was no use fighting it, the demon would find his way out. He felt himself start to shift and he held onto the table with so much strength that his knuckles were turning white. He  _ had _ to fight this, he couldn’t shift yet, not so close to Hanzo… It was such a battle, though. When his werewolf blood mixed with the demon blood, it created a whole new monster. One that wouldn’t give in so easily. The full moon was the demon’s favorite time because it could let loose with the control being gone. Jesse was barely hanging on to that control lately, the demon getting stronger. He tried to take a deep breath, a sharp pain running up his spine. He cried out, the table he was holding onto snapping in half.  _ Shit _ . 

“Jesse.”

His head whipped around to the voice, teeth bared as his face was beginning to shift. A small gasp confirmed that his eyes were probably red. 

“Get…,” he felt like he couldn’t breathe, he swallowed and knew that if he had to say anything, it was this and he  _ had _ to get it out before he couldn’t talk anymore, “get a fucking tranq!”

He fell to his knees as Hanzo ran off to the other room. He took hold of his head and gritted his teeth, trying everything he could to stop the shift. It seemed like the demon was laughing at him for his pathetic attempt. Suddenly he heard the vampire’s voice and through blurred vision, he saw him bend down beside him. His arm was pulled down and then a hand went to his head seconds before the needle was shoved into his jugular. A vicious cry left his mouth. 

Everything was beginning to go dark and quiet. The fucking demon finally shut up and went back to his hidey hole. The beast quieted down too, but he was still ready to go. He knew the full moon was coming, ready and anxious to get out. He’d have to wait a few more hours before he got his way. Jesse felt exhausted, the fight wearing him out, taking all of his energy. Or maybe it was the tranquilizer. Didn’t matter. The shift was stopped. For now. Which meant he could rest... So tired...so…

 

         Hanzo held the werewolf up from toppling onto the floor. The tranq had knocked him out cold, but it certainly did its job. Jesse’s body returned to normal, other than being covered in sweat and still rather warm. Hanzo felt baffled as he looked at him, never having seen such a thing. He had seen werewolves shift before plenty of times, hell he saw Jesse shift yesterday in the woods. But this…this was  _ nothing _ like that. That damned demon blood was no joke. There had only been stories of folks who had been injected with a demon’s blood. He had never met any of them. Neither had the majority of the population. Where were-species and vampires were rare, those who had been infected with demon blood were even  _ more _ rare. Compared to tens of thousands of vampires, there were maybe one to two hundred of beings with the corrupted blood. As he carefully lifted Jesse’s body and carried him over to the bed, he wondered how he got stuck with this shitty deal. Who had infected him? Had it been Gabriel Reyes? Had he done it when he took him in? Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised. That would explain a lot, actually. Hanzo went into the bathroom, grabbing a hand towel and soaking it with cold water before he returned to the bed. If Gabriel had his hands on demon blood, that made him more dangerous than what he already was. Would explain why he had been ordered to take him out those few years ago. Hanzo sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted the werewolf’s forehead with the towel. 

          Infecting a non-human being with demon blood was extremely risky, and illegal. He thought back to when he first heard about it. It was at least fifty years ago, if not more. A government-funded research facility in Switzerland had gotten their hands on the blood of some creature that hid out in the Swiss Alps. They ran tests and started doing experiments on humans, werewolves, and vampires alike. What was only supposed to be a couple tests turned into multiple, the group of scientists obsessed with this blood. Hundreds of lives sacrificed until one body accepted the blood, transforming into a fucking monster. More tests, more experiments. Before the facility was shut down and the scientists were arrested and committed, they had created a formula where the blood could be injected and the body wouldn’t transform into a horn-bearing demon spawn - for a human. Guess someone got a hold of it and figured out the formula could be altered for werewolves. No idea on vampires. Hanzo never met a vampire who had been injected with the blood, but he was sure there were some out there. No doubt that there were also morons still risking their lives to obtain this blood since there was only place to get it - a literal on-earth version of hell hiding in the Alps. His hand paused as he wiped the werewolf’s chest. He had bit him..a couple times actually, drinking his blood. Did that mean…?  _ Shit _ . He didn’t feel any different… Perhaps there was a difference in consuming and being injected? There were variables, he was sure. He’d be okay...hopefully. If not, boy was the world in for a surprise. 

          Hanzo glanced at the clock on the dresser. Time was running out and he still had no idea what he was going to do. If his shifting was going to be anything like what just happened, he was in trouble. The werewolf wasn’t kidding around. Not that he hadn’t been taking him seriously, but he never imagined it would be as vicious as that. Then again, when he had taken in the wolf, he hadn’t known about the fucking demon blood. That in itself changed everything. Because not only would the wolf come out, the demon would. Combine those two… He wasn’t sure that even  _ he _ could handle that. Now the chained up thing made sense. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any chains. Maybe he should bring him back to Gabriel Reyes after all.  _ No _ . That would expose himself, and he’d be taken into custody immediately. He had no proof that he didn’t commit those murders, no alibi. Even if he  _ did _ know who did it, there was no way anyone was going to believe him. Which is why he came here. No one knew his whereabouts. He paused. Well, Gabriel probably did by now. That hacker chick likely helped to track him down in NH. No matter. They would never find him  _ here _ in this house. And if they did? He’d take them out. He looked down at the wolf. Well, that could pose a challenge, wouldn’t it?. With a sigh, he got up to rinse the towel. Once done, he went into the living room, taking a seat on the sofa. 

           He lit a cigarette and leaned back, taking a long drag and exhaling slowly. Everything had gone to shit so fast. He chuckled. He was totally blaming it all on the werewolf. It was his fault for not paying attention in the woods, for not seeing that damn trap. They wouldn’t be here right now had he not gotten himself injured. His mind wandered to yesterday, a small smile forming on his face. Surprisingly, he didn’t mind the wolf’s company. Even if he did talk a lot in his strange accent and American slang. And the sex…he cursed. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined it would have been like that. His body ached just thinking about it. Finishing the cigarette he laid down on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling. He  _ was _ tired. They had been up until 5am having the time of their life and the daytime always drained vampires. Recent events hadn’t helped. Maybe he should get some rest. The night would soon be upon them and lord only knew what that was going to be bring. He allowed himself to close his eyes and drift off into sleep. 


	6. Chapter 6

        Jesse slowly opened his eyes, blinking as his sight adjusted. He rolled onto his back, groaning as his body ached. He remembered what happened and sighed. It was only going to get worse. And it was too late to do anything about it. He needed to get Hanzo to tie him up or something otherwise the vampire was going to die. Slowly he got up, picking up the only other tranq he had and left the bedroom. 

        He spotted Hanzo on the couch in the living room and walked up to him. The vampire was as beautiful asleep as he was awake. He really didn’t want to kill him. He was good company, oddly enough.  “Hey,” he said softly, pushing back some strands of hair that fell forward on his face. 

His arm was grabbed and before he could react, Hanzo had pulled him and flipped them, pushing him down on the couch as the vampire climbed on top, his hands around his throat. Jesse cursed and grabbed his wrists.  “Remind...me...to never,” he took a breath, “wake you up.”

A gasp left Hanzo, immediately letting go. “Gomen.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He let go of his wrists. This wasn’t the time to argue. “We need to figure out a way to keep me contained. You got any chains?”

“No,” he shook his head and Jesse cursed.

“There a basement here?”

“Yes.” There was a pause and then the vampires eyes went wide. “I may have something.” He hopped off of him and took off. Jesse got up, following him, trying to keep up.

They went down the steps of the basement and that’s when Jesse saw the cage. “I ain’t even askin’ why you have that,” he stated.

Hanzo laughed, “it’s made out of reinforced steel.”

“That’s great,” Jesse said sarcastically as he walked up to it and gave it a shake. It seemed sturdy enough. And the thing was big. Could be big enough for him. He opened the door and stepped inside, hunched over. He then sat down, inspecting before looking around the room. No chains, no wire, not even any rope. What the hell. He then spotted the big wooden box.

“Really? A fucking coffin?,” he laughed.

Hanzo crossed his arms against his chest, “I  _ am _ a vampire, you know.”

“Boy do I know that.” A sigh left his mouth before he climbed out of the cage. He walked up to the vampire, holding out the tranq. “It’s the only one we got left so only use it if absolutely necessary.” Hanzo nodded as he took it from him. The beast roared inside of him and he shook his head, trying to shaking it off.   “Where’s your sword?”   
  
“My sword?”   
  
“Yeah, you know, that thing you kill people with? Made out of silver, has a sharp pointy end-”   
  
He cut him off, “I know what a fucking sword is.”

“Then where is it?”

“I,” he stumbled, “I don’t have one.”

“Huh? What do you mean you don’t have one? You’re a ninja, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Hanzo snapped, “not all ninjas use swords,  _ nitwit _ .”

“Funny,” Jesse rolled his eyes, “if you don’t use a sword, then what the hell  _ do _ you use?”

“I will show you.” 

The vampire left, heading back upstairs. Jesse used that time to continue looking around. There wasn’t much in the basement, frustrating him. This wasn’t the place for him to deal with the full moon. No matter how strong this guy was, the demon would be too much for him to handle. He just knew it. He eyed the cage again. He couldn’t deny that he was curious as to why the hell that was here, but he had no desire to ask. He smelled the vampire return and he looked over in his direction, raising an eyebrow. “Are you serious?,” Jesse laughed.

“You underestimate me.” The vampire raised the bow and shot an arrow at him. He caught the arrow right before it was about to impale his face. Hanzo gasped, eyes going wide. 

He examined the arrow, ignoring his reaction. “Silver?”

“Not that one, but I do have a couple with silver tips.”

He walked up to the vampire, pushing the arrow up against his chest. “Good. You will need them.”

Hanzo stared at him, shocked. His reaction time had been phenomenal, he had never expected that. But really, he shouldn’t be surprised. Now that he thought about it, Jesse McCree wasn’t giving himself enough credit. He very well could possibly take him. He smiled. It’d be a close fight, though. 

“You mind if I smoke down here?,” the wolf asked.

He shook his head, following him upstairs. “Are,” he paused, “are you putting yourself in the cage now?”

“Yep.” He grabbed his cigarillos. “Come lock me in and then you can do whatever you want.”

 

       Hanzo looked down at the werewolf, who was sitting on the floor in the cage that he had just closed and locked up. The poor guy looked so helpless. With a sigh, he went back upstairs collecting his cigarettes, another ashtray, the silver-tipped arrows, the incense, a bottle of water, and a bottle of sake. It was going to be a long night. 

“Wh-what are you doing?,” Jesse asked as he watched him sit down on the concrete floor on the other side of the room, across from him. 

He lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly.  “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“You’re going to sit here and watch?”

“Yeah, that alright?”

“Might as well grab some popcorn. It’s a hell of a show.” Jesse looked away from him.

“Do you make a joke out of everything?”

The werewolf puffed on his cigarillo, not answering him. Something had changed in him since he partly shifted earlier. Dread, fear, hopelessness. That’s all he could feel coming off of him. 

“You risk your life being down here,” he suddenly said, still not looking at him.

“I am not concerned. I am not leaving you here to suffer on your own.”

That got him to look his way. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

He shrugged. “I like you.”

“Yeah,” he scoffed, “right.” He watched as the werewolf rested his arms on his knees. “We’re supposed to be enemies. I’m supposed to be killing you.”

“Funny how things work out, hm? I mean, if you are so intent of us being enemies, by all means please, try to kill me when this is all over.”

“Why don’t I just kill you now?”

Hanzo laughed, opening the bottle of sake and taking a sip. “Just because I’m a vampire and you’re a werewolf doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”

The werewolf studied him. “Friends? Are you desperate or somethin’?”

Man, this guy was funny. “No. Actually, I’m much like you - a loner. Prefer to work alone, be alone, live alone.”

“Then why?”

He looked down at the sake. “I am not sure. There is something about you-”  
  
“It’s the blood, ain’t it? You just want me for my blood.”

“No,” he sternly said, watching as Jesse’s arms dropped and he grabbed hold of the cage as he moved onto his knees, breathing heavily. It wasn’t time yet, but his body seemed to think otherwise. The wolf raised his head to look at him.

“If I do hurt you or kill you, please know it is not intentional and I am sorry.” He almost looked like he was about to cry. 

Hanzo got up, going over to him, and bent down in front of the cage. “It will be okay, Jesse.”

There was a moment as they stared at each other. The look in the werewolf’s eyes told him everything he needed to hear without words being said. There was a bond between them, a strange one at that, but still. It was enough to earn a little bit of his trust. As if he knew he was giving himself away, Jesse took a step back, glancing down. 

“I’m going to shift, it makes it less painful.”

Hanzo nodded and watched as he shifted into the beautiful white, gray and black wolf from yesterday in the woods. The blue eyes of the wolf stared back at him for a moment before he blew air out of his nose and walked over to the farest corner of the cage. He laid down, putting his head down on his front legs. He looked so sad, so miserable. Hanzo wasn’t sure what came over him but he found himself unlocking the cage, crawling in as Jesse began growling at him, getting up.   
  
“Hush,” he said, “it’s fine. We still have a couple hours until the full moon hits.” He sat down, extending his arm out towards him. The wolf pulled back at first, seeming like he was unsure as to what he was doing. He just wanted to pet him for crying out loud. This guy was so damn tense… When he realized he wasn’t going to hurt him, he let him run his hand along the top of his head. “Mmm, so soft.” Jesse’s breathing slowed as he started rubbing his head with both hands, scratching behind the ears. Hanzo chuckled as the wolf pressed his head up against his hand, acting like he wanted more. One of his front paws landed on his leg. “Besides you being beautiful in this form, you know what I like the most about this?,” he smiled, “I can say whatever I want and you can’t say shit back. For once, you’re quiet.”

Jesse growled, even letting out a small bark. 

Hanzo laughed, he couldn’t help it.  “Since we have time, I will tell you what you want to know.” He looked away for a moment. As much as he didn’t want to give himself up, he owed it to him to at least explain how they ended up here. Suddenly Jesse nudged his arm with his head and then he climbed halfway onto his lap, putting his head down. He chuckled. He was just like a puppy.   
  
“So I will admit. I was watching you yesterday in the woods. Actually, I’ve been watching you since you arrived at Gabriel’s.” That had him lifting his head. “You had interrupted my plans so I was kind of pissed. I had been wanting to meet with Gabriel because I needed his help with something.” He paused, wishing he had brought the sake with him. Jesse started talking, but it wasn’t words, just dog-like noises. “I’m guessing you’re saying something along the lines of if I was here in New Hampshire then I didn’t kill my clan. And you would be right.” The wolf snorted and put his head back down. “I know who did it, though. He’s the reason why I wanted to speak with Gabriel.” Hanzo sighed, his mind drifting as he continued petting Jesse. He didn’t enjoy talking about it, tried to avoid it as much as possible. His arm was nudged and he looked down to those striking blue eyes. He forced a smile. “Sometimes family isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” he sighed, “and now I’m stuck in this situation where I’m the prime suspect just because my body wasn’t found. What they’re neglecting to say is that there was another body that wasn’t found.” Jesse sat up a little, positioning his face in front of his. “My brother’s.” It almost looked like the wolf’s eyes widened. “I will tell you more about him after this.” He made a grunting noise and put his head back down in his lap. 

Hanzo began running his hand up and down the wolf’s body, still amazed at how  _ soft _ he was. “You are stunning like this,” he whispered before realizing what he said, “uh, not that you’re not stunning in your human form.” He paused. What the hell was he saying?  “Shit.” He could almost hear Jesse laughing at him. The wolf got up again, his head rubbing up against Hanzo’s chin before he licked his face, making him laugh. He tried pushing him away while he continued to lick his face, like a normal dog would. “Alright, alright. I get it, you like me too.” That got him to stop and he huffed before moving back. 

Hanzo laughed again. “Come on, you can’t deny that you’re attracted to me. And the sex,” he paused before cursing, his mind going to places that it shouldn’t at that moment. “I’ll let that one speak for itself.” He leaned against the cage, putting his head back and sighing. That’s when Jesse came over, climbed into his lap and laid down. A clear message that he was comfortable with him, that he definitely trusted him. He smiled then closed his eyes, his hand resting on Jesse’s back. Maybe having a wolf around wouldn’t be so bad. He could use a companion…

Hanzo awoke to Jesse barking, pushing on him.  “What? What’s wrong?,” he asked, his brain not functioning. He looked at Jesse and froze. His eyes were no longer the color of the sea. They were glowing red. He cursed in Japanese before the wolf began pushing him out of the cage. He crawled out, immediately turning around to face him. He had retreated to the far corner again. Sighing, Hanzo rubbed his face before closing the cage door and locking it. Well, that was a rude awakening. He stood and stretched. He hadn’t expected to fall asleep. The recent events must’ve really taken a toll on him. He walked over to the spot he had set up earlier across the room, facing the cage and sat down up against the wall. Lighting a cigarette, he watched Jesse who was now pacing. Hanzo wasn’t really sure what to expect but he could feel his pulse racing. To say he wasn’t a little bit scared would be a lie. Again, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.  _ Stupid demon blood _ . If he found out that Gabriel Reyes did this to him… He paused from taking a drag on the cigarette and glanced down. What was this feeling inside of him? Getting angry about something that didn’t concern him? Suddenly a low growl brought his head up and he watched in disbelief as the beautiful wolf that Jesse once was began shifting again. 

All he could do was stare as Jesse’s body turned into something out of the movies. His skin turned black, the fur disappeared except for some on his head - where a set of horns grew in. Hanzo jumped as the creature banged on the cage, standing hunched over on its hind legs, saliva dripping from his mouth where his teeth were nearly fangs.  _ Holy hell _ . There was barely any resemblance of Jesse left. But he had to be in there somewhere, right? Hanzo stood, the red eyes going straight to him, following him. Ignoring the growling, he started walking up to the cage. “Jesse.”

For a brief second, the eyes staring him down flashed blue, but returned to the red immediately. He stopped walking as the demon-wolf tried to break out of the cage. That’s when he turned around and went back to his spot across the room, proceeding to light a few sticks of incense in hopes that it would calm  _ both _ beasts. 

The demon didn’t like the incense. After at least fifteen minutes of him howling and banging on the cage, he finally stopped and laid down. Hanzo exhaled a deep breath in relief, not taking his eyes off of him. The tranq sat beside him, the bow was in his hand with a silver tipped arrow in his other hand. He was ready and he wasn’t going to let his guard down. He just hoped that he wouldn’t have to take action, knowing that whatever injuries he gave this creature, they would carry over to Jesse’s actual body. There was no desire for that. 

 

The incense did a fantastic job in calming both the demon and wolf. It seemed that Jesse had fallen asleep and had been out the past couple hours. Hanzo never took his eyes off of him in the event that he woke up and charged the cage, breaking it open. Sitting there gave him a lot of time to think, though. He would have to let Jesse go, let him go back to Gabriel Reyes. That vampire and his crew would keep searching for him and if they got close enough, they would smell him and then it’d all be over. But the question was - did he go with him? Perhaps Jesse could convince Gabriel that he wasn’t the murderer of his family and he could explain his story. Highly unlikely, but it was worth a shot. And if he had to fight him then so be it. Either way, he couldn’t keep the wolf here, no matter how much he wanted to. There was no denying that he liked him, an attraction and bond forming, a strange feeling in his chest building. Even if something were to come of it, their relationship was forbidden. A werewolf and a vampire were  _ not _ allowed to be together romantically. They’d be tortured, beaten and thrown in a jail cell for the rest of their lives (of which were basically immortal unless killed properly). So yeah, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. He had plenty of other problems to deal with anyway. Like his brother - his _piece of shit_ brother. Hanzo didn’t think his brother had it in him to kill everyone, but he had been incredibly wrong. Even after trying to save him… Hanzo hissed, the anger inside him rising. After all he did to protect his foolish brother, after all the bullshit he went through...this was how he repaid him. By setting him up. Making it look like  _ he _ had gone on a murderous rampage, killing all the guards and family members of his clan. He wasn’t sure which he was more upset about - the fact that he was set up or the fact that he underestimated his brother. Honestly, the clan needed to go. As much as he hated the fact that his mother was killed, it was probably for the best. She was no less innocent than his father and the rest of them. The whole Shimada clan had gone corrupt, the power going to their heads making them think they were invincible. They needed to be stopped before they took over the entire country. So he supposed he should thank his brother for that. 

        A low growl had him looking up from his bow. Jesse was still laying down, eyes closed. But he looked like he was trembling, shaking in his sleep. Was he dreaming? He continued watching him, only able to imagine the horror that he was going through. And to think he had to deal with this every month. He wondered if anyone else had ever stayed with him like this. Or had they just left him alone in the dark, chained up? As much as he wanted to go over to him, he refrained. He didn’t want to wake the beast or demon for that matter. Cursing, he lit some more incense as the ones from earlier had burned through. He then sat back, taking a sip of his sake. He’d much rather be doing something other than this. Like kissing and touching the wolf. His mind went to their eventful evening, making him smile - and his body ache. He told him he would give him the night of his life and he hoped he succeeded. It seemed like he did. And it made him want to do it again. Oh how he wanted to feel Jesse’s warm body on top of his, his warm breath on his mouth and neck, his hands on his chest.  _ Fuck _ . He needed to stop thinking about that, this wasn’t the right time to be doing such a thing. Forcing himself to think about what he was going to do after this was over, he lit another cigarette and kept watching the wolf.

 

         The sun finally started coming up. The full moon was still in the sky but it would soon begin to fade away in its rotation and the worst of it was now over. Jesse had woken a few times, startling Hanzo with the deranged growling and banging on the cage. But it never lasted long, and that dang incense was proving to be more valuable than he had ever expected. Hanzo stood and stretched. Sitting for hours on end had taken a bit of toll on him. He would not complain about it though, knowing that what Jesse went through was far worse. Speaking of, he looked down into the cage as he walked over. He was no longer that spawn of the devil demon-wolf creature. He had returned to his fluffy form. Had the demon given up and gone back into his hiding spot? He shouldn’t be too hopeful. 

“Jesse,” he called softly, making him stir. Suddenly he jumped at the cage, teeth bared and growling at him. Hanzo stood his ground. “Jesse, it’s me. Hanzo.” He stopped, letting go of the cage and closing his mouth.  “You know, the vampire that you can’t stand?”

The wolf stared at him for a moment before he huffed and backed away from the cage door. 

“Well, the good and bad news is that you didn’t kill me.” It looked like he was smiling at him, which made him smile.  “But I’m tired as hell. The sun is up, which isn’t helping.” Jesse padded over to the door, nudging his nose at the lock. 

“Is the demon gone? Or will he be making another entrance?” On second thought, he wasn’t sure how he was going to answer those questions. “Err, how about a better question?” He bent down to be eye level with him. “Is it safe to let you be?” That wasn’t much of an easier question but he watched as Jesse tried nodding his head. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Standing, he went over to get his bow and arrows before going over to the coffin. Might as well use it since it was there. 

Suddenly Jesse started whimpering, his right front paw scraping against the floor in the cage. It took him a second to understand what he was trying to say. He turned towards him. “You want me to sleep in there?” A bark was his reply. “Are you sure that’s a really good idea? I mean, is that safe? Or are you trying to lure me in there to kill me?” He watched as the wolf sat back, his eyes staring him down while the rest of his body went still like he was a well-trained dog. What kind of answer was that!? After a minute of just sitting there, Jesse tapped the floor with his paw again. Hanzo sighed before going over. He then gave in and unlocked the cage, crawling in. No doubt he was nervous about this, but it seemed that Jesse wasn't going to give up which meant that it  _ should _ be safe. If something happened…well, that was going to be on him. Hanzo laid down on his side, bow and arrows within arms reach. Jesse came over and laid down beside him, his body pressed up against his chest.  _ So warm and soft _ . He put an arm around the wolf and closed his eyes, realizing that he was way too comfortable laying like this. He didn't have time to dwell on it as he drifted off into a deep sleep. 


	7. Chapter 7

        Jesse yawned, opening his eyes. A weight on his body had him lifting his head to find the vampire laying beside him, arm around him. _Right_ . He had convinced him (somehow) to sleep in the cage. Hell, what time was it? How long had they been sleeping? He glanced up at the small window in the basement. It was night time apparently, the sky dark. He _should_ get up and shift out of his wolf form, if he was able. Lord knows he needed a hot shower and some food. He looked back at Hanzo. The vampire had stayed with him the entire time. No one had ever done that. The most people could stand were a couple hours. But this guy… He remembered everything that he had told him. _Everything_. Never had he expected him to admit his attraction to him. He wondered if that changed at all after seeing him shift into that hideous demon-wolf form. His stomach growled. He needed food...bad. Waking up Hanzo was his only option since he wasn't about to go through his shit and eat his food without permission. He pushed his wet nose up against the vampire’s chin a couple times until he started to stir.

        Finally the vampire opened his eyes and looked down at him.

“Hey,” he said softly, before looking around. “Fuck, what time is it?” He began to sit up, rubbing his face and eyes.

There was only one way to know if the full moon had actually passed. Jesse took a deep breath and then shifted back to his human form. Hanzo glanced down, their eyes meeting.

“Thank you,” Jesse whispered.

The vampire said nothing, just stared at him. _Shit_ . Was something wrong? Had he attacked him? Had he done something wrong? Hanzo began lowering his face to his, pausing for a moment as if he was second guessing what he was doing (what exactly _was_ he doing?!) but then he continued and his lips pressed up against his in a small, soft kiss. It had been a completely different kiss from their extravagant night. One that had _feeling_ behind it. As the vampire started to pull back, their eyes met again, shock in Jesse's. In that moment, despite the surprise in him, he wanted to feel those lips on his again. What was this?! Without realizing it he had reached up, taking hold of the back of Hanzo's head, pulling him back down. Eyes closed and they kissed again. Hell, this felt...good. His heart started beating fast, his pulse going up a notch (or two) as they continued kissing. _What the hell was going on?!_ Jesse was so confused. He pulled away slightly and Hanzo leaned his forehead against his, their eyes meeting again.

The vampire smiled. “I'm glad you're alright,” he said softly, “but you smell terrible.”

Jesse laughed a deep, hearty laugh, pushing him. “What do you expect? I'm a rugged, manly,” he paused, thinking, “uh…wolf?”

Hanzo now laughed, “let's get you cleaned up, then.”

Jesse started to sit up and a wave of dizziness hit him. He took hold of his head, groaning. The after-effects of the full moon shifting were always a bitch, and he always forgot about them. He should be used to it by now for crying out loud.

“You okay?,” Hanzo asked as he crawled out of the cage.

“Yeah, sure.”

He stumbled out of the cage and tried standing up. After two days of being mostly horizontal, his body did _not_ like going vertical so fast. His legs, including his still injured ankle, gave out on him. The vampire caught him before he fell on his ass.

“You are a damn mess.” Hanzo sighed.

“That ain't nothin’ new, darlin’.” He tried to push him away. “I'll shift, might make it easier.”

Haha shook his head, bending down. One arm went behind his knees and the other wrapped around his waist and then he picked him up.

“You don't need to do this,” Jesse stated.

“Hush.”

With a sigh, he put his arm around his shoulders for balance as the vampire began walking to the stairs. The room was spinning, making Jesse close his eyes and put his head down. He felt woozy, and embarrassed as all hell. But what else was he going to do? Hanzo was as stubborn as he was. He was learning there was no disagreeing with him.

        Hanzo carried Jesse's heavy ass upstairs to the bathroom and put him down in the bathtub. He turned the water on only for the werewolf to cry out and jump as soon as the water hit him.

“A little warning, asshole,” Jesse scoffed.

He couldn't help but laugh as he adjusted the water temp.

“Yeah, laugh it up.”

“Gomen, gomen,” he chuckled, taking the loofah and body wash off the little shelf.  

Jesse reached for his arm in a weak attempt to snatch the poof ball out of his hand. Hanzo was fast and moved back. He huffed, leaning back, resting his head on the wall. “Suit yourself.”

The vampire said nothing as he began washing him, starting with his legs. Jesse closed his eyes and sighed. It was taking everything him to allow this and not stop him. _Never_ would a vampire wash a werewolf. It was always the other way around. Not only that, he was ashamed and (still) embarrassed.

“Just relax,” Hanzo said softly, “you are so tense...all the time.”

“That’s who I am, darlin’.”

Once the vampire was satisfied with his front side, he made him lean forwards so he could get his back. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“I’m sure you do, bloodsu-,” he stopped, remembering what he had said, “sorry.”

As the loofah disappeared from his back, he slowly sat back, looking at Hanzo.

“I’m not mind-reading you, you know. I can just tell.”

“Am I that easy to read?”

“To me? Yes.”

He grumbled and tilted his head back, closing his eyes. It was quiet for a moment and then he heard the showerhead get turned on. He cracked an eye to see Hanzo squeezing some shampoo into his hand. He then leaned over the tub and started scrubbing his head.

“Why are you doing this? A vampire shouldn’t be doing this to a werewolf,” Jesse sighed.

“Because I want to. Now stop asking.”

He shut his eyes as his head was rinsed down. Hanzo’s fingers in his hair, rubbing his head felt _so good_. Maybe it was a werewolf thing, but it was a bit relaxing as well. Hell, he’d let him do this any time he wanted. As he felt his hand move from the front towards the back and then stopping, he risked opening an eye.

“What’s wrong?”

Hanzo smiled, “nothing.” He finished rinsing his head and then stood, putting the showerhead back and turning off the water. Jesse watched him pull a towel off the shelf above the toilet. He tried to stand, eventually getting it after a few tries. This was almost worse than being drunk. Almost. Hanzo held out a hand. Carefully he took it and climbed out of the tub, almost falling at the last minute. The vampire had a hell of a grip, preventing him from the fall. The towel was wrapped around him then Hanzo put the toilet seat down and pushed him down onto it.

“Sit there,” he advised before stripping. He kept his mouth shut, watching as his naked body was exposed and then he got into tub. Hanzo smirked, closing the curtain before turning on the shower.

“Aww,” Jesse whined, “no fair.”

He heard him laugh. _Ah shit_ , Jesse chuckled to himself. He was starting to really like this guy, like _really_ really. Taking hold of the curtain, he decided on a peek. It was as if Hanzo was waiting for it, a splash of water hitting him in the face.

“You’re so mean.” He shoved the curtain closed and wiped his cheeks. God he needed a smoke. And some clean clothes. He had one of those things. With a sigh, he slowly stood, letting his body balance itself out. The spinning had stopped so that was a plus. He decided to make his way to the bedroom to retrieve his clothes.

         The more he moved, the quicker his body recovered. _Thank God_. Jesse made it to the bed before Hanzo came in, huffing and puffing. 

“I’m fine,” he advised.  
  
“I am starting to think you don’t understand the definition of _fine_.” He sighed, going over to the dresser. A pair of boxers came flying at him. “I’m sure they will fit even though your ass is huge.”

“What? You definitely have the bigger ass.” Jesse leaned forwards and grabbed a hold of the towel that was around his waist and pulled. “See.”

Hanzo spun around with red cheeks. And then it took him all of two seconds to come at him, pushing him down onto the bed.  
  
“It’s okay to have the bigger ass, darlin’,” Jesse said, looking up at him with a smirk on his face.

“You’re asking for trouble.”

“Huh?! I like your ass!” He reached around, his hands landing on his butt cheeks and squeezing.

Hanzo chuckled, dipping his head down to his. “You’re a naughty wolf.”

He squeezed a little harder, getting the vampire to moan a little. He then let go. That’s what he wanted. But Hanzo didn't pull back. “I'd love to continue this but I'm sure Gabe is pissin’ his pants with me gone right now.”

“Let him.” The vampire started kissing his neck and shoulder. _Aw,_ _hell_.

“I want you to come with, I'll explain the situation and get him to help you.”

Hanzo stopped, lifting his head. “I am not sure about that.”

“Gabe has never doubted me.”

He sat back as he straddled him, purposefully grinding his hips making Jesse groan.

“You started this.” He leaned down, running his hands along his chest. His mouth went to his neck again. A curse left Jesse as he reached up, a hand going to the back of his head. The desire to take him increased, as well as the need to feel his fangs. _What the hell was wrong with him?!_ Hanzo didn't even need to use his powers on him, he was already so desperate and weak for him. And hard. Definitely hard.

“I'm not sure what kind of voodoo you're usin’, but you drive me crazy darlin’.”

Hanzo chuckled, running his warm tongue along his skin. God, this guy knew how to get him going. He hadn't intended on sleeping with him again, especially so soon but the opportunity was presenting itself and he clearly wanted it. Letting go of the vampire’s head, his hands went to his waist down to his butt, shifting himself underneath him. Hanzo got the hint and the next thing he knew, the vampire took hold of him, guiding his cock into him as he lowered himself back on top of him. Jesse's head went back as he moaned, his length sliding into him with ease. _Fuck_ , he felt so good. As he filled him, Hanzo paused and their eyes met. And then the bastard started rocking his hips.       

          Heaven. This must be what heaven felt like. Jesse never took his eyes off of the vampire as he rode him like a champ. God this guy…he was incredible. And it wasn't just the sex. He had taken care of him from the very beginning and continued to do so, and he stayed with him the _entire_ time of the full moon bullshit. He even washed him, for crying out loud. And those kisses after he shifted earlier…

Suddenly Hanzo leaned down, his face above his. “Jesse, I can feel your emotions, remember?,” he whispered.

 _Shit!_ This was just the day of him being embarrassed apparently. Oh well, he supposed. You couldn't hide much from a damn vampire, even if you tried. Might as well give in. He met his eyes. “Then kiss me.”

And Hanzo did. Jesse was unsure of what all these foreign feelings were but he knew one thing - he wanted to stay with this man. Fuck Gabe, fuck Jack and Nightfall. Hanzo chuckled and then left a trail of kisses to his neck.

“If you do not want to leave, then stay,” he whispered.

“Am I that obvious?”

“Mmm,” he hummed, the tip of his fangs running along his skin.

“Aww fuck,” Jesse breathed, “bite me.”

“Say please.”

He was too hot and bothered to argue. _“Please.”_ The bite was a little rough, making him cry out but the pain was worth the pleasure that came shortly after. _Oh God, yes_ . Hanzo moaned and began moving his hips faster, bringing him closer to getting off. Jesse was wrong… _this_ was Heaven. The feel of his mouth pulling at his neck, the knowledge that he was giving Hanzo his lifeforce, the intimacy of it all... The orgasm that hit him was intense and had him grabbing at Hanzo's back, nails digging into him and crying out once more.

 

         Jesse laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to catch his breath. Hanzo was beside him doing much of the same.

“Who would've thought,” Jesse laughed.

The vampire turned onto his side, his hand going to his chest, fingers running up and down softly. “Mmm.”

After laying there in silence for a couple minutes, Hanzo brought his fingers to Jesse's lips making him look at him. He smiled then he kissed him. “It seems I rather like you, shifter.”

“That so?”

“Hai.”

“You get hit in the head or somethin’?”

He laughed, “perhaps.” They continued kissing for a few moments before Hanzo pulled back. “You think Gabe will actually listen to you?”

“He has no reason not to. I've always been honest with him,” Jesse slowly sat up.

“Has he been honest with you?”

That made him pause for a moment as he thought about it. Then he laughed. “I doubt it.”

Hanzo got up and started getting dressed. Jesse watched as he put on pants and then a one-sleeved kimono type deal, leaving the dragon-tattooed arm uncovered and visible. Still gorgeous.  _Bastard_.

“Here,” the vampire pulled out what looked like workout pants and a muscle tank.

He'd take it for the time being. Hell he needed to get back to NY to get his things… _wait,_ what was he thinking? Was he really considering coming back here, staying with this vampire? He watched as Hanzo put a quiver full of arrows across his back. An _archer_ vampire, nonetheless. He was such an odd fella. But he liked that about him.

        Jesse got up and got dressed while Hanzo went to get the items left in the basement. He returned with his bow, cigarettes and the only tranq Jesse had until he got to his car. They came up with a game plan in case things didn't go well and then they left the cabin, heading to the woods. Hanzo knew the way to Gabe's place, which wasn't much of a shocker since he had admitted that he had been spying on him and Gabe. Jesse glanced at him. _Stalker, much?_ He smiled and went back to looking ahead of him, letting his senses take over. He needed to be alert in the event there was a surprise attack...


	8. Chapter 8

      Jesse shifted into his wolf form while they made their way through the woods. His senses were heightened while in this form and in the event that Gabe, or someone else was nearby, he'd know it sooner than in his human form. Hanzo had taken to the tree tops and shadows. Jesse couldn't see him, which was probably the point but damn, following him just by his scent was a pain in the ass. And the bastard moved fast. Not that it was a struggle to keep up with him, just annoying.

     While he followed Hanzo's trail, he thought about what he was going to say to Gabe. Their last conversation hadn't gone so well. He was still pissed that Gabe had reached out to Jack for ‘permission’. What the hell was he, a child? Fuck, he was _technically_ a 37 year old adult male. He didn't need anyone's fucking permission to do something, or in this case _not_ to do something. Did Jack think that Gabe would be able to convince him to kill Hanzo? He should know better. Sure, Gabe had been the closest thing to a father figure in his life and he typically listened to whatever he had to say but things had changed. Jesse had grown up, became his own man. He'd never forget the things that Gabe had done for him and he was eternally grateful. However, Jesse also knew that Gabe wasn't as innocent as he appeared. The only reason he kept in touch with him was because he had resources that neither Nightfall or he himself had. He also felt obligated, plus he wanted to stay on his good side. But he wasn't about to let him - or Jack run all over him.

     Just as he was thinking about him, Gabe's scent filled his nose. He came to a halt and looked around. Gabe was close…and he brought friends. Akande and Sombra. _Great_. This was going to make things a little more difficult. Were they out searching for him? Probably. He cursed. Sombra was likely worried sick about him. If something bad happened during this ‘meeting’, he was going to have to protect her. Which meant he needed to keep an even stronger hold on this demon. Hell, she shouldn't be out here. With another curse he shifted into his human form and continued walking towards Gabe's scent.

      “Well, well.”

Jesse stood before Gabe, his pulse picking up a little bit. He could feel Gabe's anger coming off of him in waves. _Fucking hell_.

“I see you made it through the full moon,” Gabe took a step closer to him, “how many people did you kill this time?”

He rolled his eyes, “I don't go on a murderous rage _every_ time, you know.”

Gabe laughed, the sound giving him goosebumps. “You done being stubborn?”

“Me? Stubborn?” Now he laughed.

“Jesse, you're the most stubborn-,” Sombra started to say before Gabe cut her off.

“Shut up Sombra!”

“Hey! Don't talk to her like that!,” Jesse fought back, moving closer to them.

Gabe started laughing again. Jesse ignored him and looked at Sombra who shook her head at him as they made eye contact.

“Alright, well, we're just wasting time here. Now that you've come out of hiding, let's get back. We have things to dis-,” Gabe stated, stopping before finishing his sentence.

Suddenly he was right in front of Jesse, his hand going to his head holding it down to one side.

“ _What_ ,” Gabe was seething, “what the fuck is _this_?!”

What the hell was he talking about? As he felt Gabe's fingertips on his neck, he froze. Ohhhh shit. _Shit shit shit!!_ Hanzo's bite marks from earlier…they hadn't healed yet… Oh bloody hell.

“Jesse,” Gabe cleared his throat, the grip on his head getting tighter, “what the _fuck_ is this?!”

He rolled his eyes, “what the hell do you think it is?”

Gabe really had no reason to be upset. He was no longer his guardian, no longer making Gabe the only one who could drink his blood. However...he had also promised Gabe that he wouldn't let another vampire bite him, which at the time wasn't a hard promise to keep (considering his distaste for the species). But then he met Hanzo… He felt a wave of heat flow through his body as he thought about how he got these new marks…

“Who do these belong to?! Did they attack you?!,” Gabe was shouting.

Jesse cleared his throat. “It's really none of your business anymore.”

He watched the vampire's eyes go wide. “Like hell it's not my business!”

With that his head was let go but then Gabe slapped him across the face hard enough for him to see stars.

“Gabe!,” Sombra yelled.

Jesse growled as the demon inside him woke up. Now he was pissed. He grabbed a hold of Gabe's shirt and pulled him in close. “I am _not_ your property anymore,” he said, his voice going deeper as the demon was beginning to come out.

“So you _let_ another vampire bite you?!”

“Again, none of your fucking business!” He shoved him away.

This wasn't going the way he had planned. Now he was questioning whether or not he should mention Hanzo, who was still hiding somewhere among the shadows (smart move). The bigger problem was that the demon was roaring and ready to be let out. With the full moon just passing, the bastard was still there, waiting for the next moment to come out and wreck havoc.

      Gabe came right back up to him, taking a hold of his shirt and ripping it open. “Well, you’re not someone’s guardian so I suppose that’s something,” he sneered, letting him go.   
  
“Who says the mark would be on my chest if I was?,” Jesse retorted.

Gabe laughed, “please, Jesse. I’ve been around the blocks a few times. I know where the marks go. Plus, I know you. You wouldn’t become another vampire’s guardian even if your life depended on it.”

He stared at him and thought about Hanzo. _Would_ he become his guardian? He didn't really like the idea of becoming a guardian again but he actually wasn't opposed to the idea... _i_ _f_ it was Hanzo.

        “I've had enough of this bullshit. Tell me who bit you.” Gabe materialized behind him. An arm wrapped around him, holding his arms to his body so he couldn't easily break free while his head was held down, baring the unmarked side of his neck.

He felt the demon clawing at him. A growl left his mouth. “Fuck off, Gabe!,” Jesse yelled, trying to push his arms out.

“Gabe,” Sombra warned, “he's unstable, remember?”

“ _Tell me_ ,” Gabe ignored her, his fangs scraping against his skin, “or I'll find out for myself.”

Jesse glanced down at his hands. He was beginning to shift. Shaking, he growled again. Shit was about to go from bad to worse if Gabe didn't stop.

“Gabe!” Now Akande spoke up. He was no fool. He had witnessed Jesse shifting into the demon-wolf a few times, he knew what it entailed.

“What the hell is your problem?!,” Jesse yelled, “I'm not your goddamn property anymore!”

Gabe chuckled and then he felt the fangs begin to dig into him. He gritted his teeth through the pain…

       Suddenly he heard the whisper of an arrow zooming through the air. He glanced up, saw the damn thing coming right at him. _What the shit…_ He thought it was going to land right into his forehead but instead it pierced into Gabe's shoulder. Gabe cried out, letting him go and falling back a couple steps. Jesse immediately moved away from him, his hand going up to his neck. Yep, he was bleeding. _Son of a bitch!_ But he didn’t have time to be concerned with that...he heard a thud beside him and glanced over. Hanzo’s dragon tattoo was glowing a beautiful shade of sky blue, which matched the glow in his eyes as well. The look on his face was menacing and for a brief moment, Jesse was terrified. _This_ ...this was who he had expected Hanzo to be - this vicious, powerful ninja vampire. As he stood there with Hanzo staring at Gabe like he was going to rip his throat out, he wondered if Hanzo _was_ truly more powerful than Gabe.

“Play along,” Hanzo whispered, slipping behind him.

        He was about to ask what he was talking about but he didn’t have time as Hanzo wrapped an arm around him, his hand pressed flatly against his chest while his face went into the crook of his neck. Seconds later, Hanzo’s fangs dug into his neck as he bit down. _Oh God_. Jesse leaned into him, his head going back onto his shoulder. Pain was quickly followed by pleasure, confusing the hell out of him. Maybe it was just Hanzo’s power, he wasn’t sure. Considering the circumstance, he shouldn’t be getting turned on. But sure enough, he was.

         He heard Gabe growl. Ha! He was jealous. With a smirk, he stared at him while he brought his arm up, his hand going to the back of Hanzo’s head. He watched as Gabe looked like he was about to explode, his eyes slowly turning red. Shit...now they did it… Jesse hoped like hell that Hanzo had an exit strategy because _none_ of this had been part of their ‘plan’.

      

         “Reyes! What the hell is going on?!”

Jesse froze, Hanzo lifted his head and slowly closed the bite marks. He had been so distracted, he had never smelled them coming. Jesus Christ...  
  
“Ah, Jack! Perfect timing!,” Gabe materialized beside Jack, who had been escorted by Moira. She looked beyond annoyed, as if this whole thing had interrupted some experiment she was working on.   
  
“What the hell is this?!,” Jesse shouted, “a fucking family outing?!”

“Hey,” Jack said, pointing to Hanzo, “isn’t that-”

“ _Yes_ ,” Gabe snapped, “and apparently he is claiming our Jesse as his.”

“ _Our_?,” Jesse raised an eyebrow.

Gabe moved so fast, he didn’t see him. He was pulled from Hanzo and brought onto the side where everyone else was standing.

Shoving Gabe’s grasp off of him, “let go of me!” He eyed Jack, “what the fuck are you doing here?!”

“Gabe said you were missing, told me that Hanzo was in New Hampshire and that he needed my help,” Jack answered, some confusion in his voice.

He sighed. “There was no reason for you to get involved. This whole thing has been blown out of proportion.”

“But you caught him, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t _catch_ him. He saved my ass from hunters.” Now he looked at Gabe. “Y’all don’t even know the whole point as to why he’s here.”

“Jesse.” Hanzo suddenly called his name and he turned his head towards his direction.

That slight distraction gave Gabe the opportunity to take the knife he had hiding in his hand and slice the back of his knees. He cried out, falling to his hands and knees. He growled in frustration as he tried to stand but the cuts were deep, rendering him immobile. Goddammit!  
  
“Jack, take care of him, would you?,” Gabe asked.

Jesse looked up. Jack had nodded and was taking his gun out of its holster and aiming it right at Hanzo. _Shit_. He needed to get up...needed to do something...it wasn't going to end like this.

“No!!!,” Jesse screamed, shifting into wolf form and jumping out in front of Hanzo just as Jack pulled the trigger.

        With a yelp, Jesse fell to the ground at his feet. Hanzo glanced down before eyeing Jack. He was pissed before, but now he was _really_ pissed. His left arm grew warmer, the glow getting brighter. Forget discussing _anything_ with these people. Gabriel was out of his damn mind thinking he still owned Jesse. And whoever this Jack guy was...he can go right to hell for helping Gabriel. He reached back to grab an arrow from his quiver.  
  
“I will not...,” Jesse suddenly said and he looked down, his arm stopping midway in the air. The wolf had shifted back into human form, a bullet wound in his right shoulder area. He slowly began to get up. “I will _not_ let you kill him.” He could barely stand but was forcing himself to, to block him. Hanzo’s eyes went wide.

“Jesse, he killed his entire clan,” Jack was trying to reason with him.

“No!,” he shouted back, “he didn’t do it! He wasn’t even there! He was here the entire time!”

         He watched him fall to a knee. Perhaps now was the time to go. They weren’t going to listen to what either one of them had to say. While he appreciated Jesse’s efforts, it was pointless. If they didn’t leave, things were only going to get worse. Plus, he was bleeding pretty bad. He needed to get him out of there.

         Hanzo began to bend down to pick Jesse up when the scent of a new vampire came across along the breeze. His eyes went straight up into the trees. Just as he spotted her, there was a gunshot. He knew who she was aiming at before she had even made the shot. He stepped out in front of the wolf and brought his bow down, the bullet making a _ting_ as it bounced off the metal. Ignoring the gasps, he picked Jesse up.

“Nice meeting you all,” Hanzo smiled, “I cannot _wait_ until the next time we meet.”

He then took off, vanishing into the shadows.

 

        Jack stared down Gabe. “What the fuck-”

“Shut up. I don’t need your commentary right now,” Gabe cut him off.

Jack walked up to him. “Fuck you! Look what you did!”

“What  _ I _ did?! You shot him!”

“You had your sniper waiting this entire time for an opening! You were going to kill Jesse!”  
  
“She was aiming for Hanzo-”

“Bullshit!,” Jack grabbed him by the shirt, “this is  _ your _ fault and you know it! Now Jesse is in the hands of the enemy! I never should’ve allowed him to come here!” 

He picked Gabe up and threw him up against a tree before putting his gun back into the holster. 

“Fucking ridiculous!,” he threw his arms up and began walking off.

Gabe smiled as he got up, disappearing and materializing beside Jack, putting an arm around his shoulder. “Awww, come on Jackie,” he leaned his face in towards his, “don’t be so upset. We’ll get our wolf back.”

“Hmph,” Jack rolled his eyes, crossing his arms against his chest, but he didn’t push him away.   
  
“Let’s go back to the house, have some dinner and discuss a game plan, okay?”

With a sigh, Jack glanced at him, “I fucking hate you.”

“Mmm,” Gabe hummed beside his ear before licking the edge of it, “I love it when you whisper sweet nothings.”

“Shut the hell up.” He shoved him hard enough that he went flying into a nearby tree...again. 

“Give it up, Gabe,” Sombra giggled as she walked by him and he grumbled.


	9. Chapter 9

      Jesse groaned as he closed his eyes and leaned into Hanzo. He was hurtin’ pretty good and the blood loss was starting to make him lightheaded.

“We’re almost there, just stay with me a little longer, alright?”

Hanzo’s voice gave him a little more strength, enough to keep him conscious for the rest of the trip back to the cabin. Thankfully, it wasn't much longer until they got there. After the vampire checked three or so times that they weren’t followed, they finally went inside.

    Jesse was put down on one of the kitchen chairs and then Hanzo disappeared. He took a deep breath, tipped his head back and gripped the chair to keep himself from falling. Things were starting to spin and not in the fun, drunk kind of way. He felt woozy and he knew he was about to pass out at any given second. “H-han…” His voice was barely above a whisper, his hand slipping and his body started to tilt to one side.

“Not yet, shifter.”

He felt Hanzo’s hands on him, putting him back up against the chair. His head felt so heavy, he couldn’t keep it up any longer. He was so out of it. The action of Hanzo fishing out the bullet from his shoulder felt like a mosquito bite.

“I-I’m...sor..ry,” he muttered.

The last thing he remembered was feeling warm, soft lips on his forehead before everything went black.

 

    Hanzo quickly wrapped up the wounds on his shoulder and legs before picking Jesse up and bringing him to the bedroom, putting him on the bed. He looked down at the beat-up wolf as he stood up straight and shook his head.   
“This seems to be an ongoing occurrence for you. I will need to buy more bandages,” he sighed, pulling the covers over him and leaving the bedroom.

    He made his way outside and sat down on the steps, lighting a cigarette. Well their meeting with Gabriel Reyes had turned into a complete fucking shit show. He took a long drag, exhaling slowly while running all the things that were said and done through his head. Jesse may think that he had left Gabriel’s home and their contract was nulled so that he was ‘set free’ (so to speak), but it was quite clear that Gabriel still thought he belonged to him.

        The image of that vampire’s mouth on Jesse’s neck ignited Hanzo’s anger (and maybe some jealousy) again. When Gabriel bit him, it had taken everything in him not to jump down on him and twist his goddamn neck. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. Hanzo didn't understand his own sudden possessiveness for the werewolf. Maybe it was because the dumbass had jumped in front of him, taking that bullet. Which reminded him - he was going to have to have a little chat with him. That bullet was _not_ a normal bullet by any means. He had never seen anything like it. It had not been filled with lead as he could tell from the clear casing. Just what the hell was Nightfall using for ammo?

  
      Hanzo lit another cigarette and glanced up at the moon. It was no longer full but it was still bright and lit up the night sky. He would no longer be able to look at the moon without thinking about Jesse. And that made him wonder exactly what he got himself into. He had never gotten involved with a werewolf, never really had an interest in them. There weren't a lot of them in Japan, that he knew of anyway. The ones he _had_ known of, he had been ordered to kill sooo… He sighed. Jesse was different though, and it wasn't because of the demon blood. There was something else that he couldn't put a finger on. With that thought, he headed back inside and took up seat on the bedroom floor, watching Jesse sleep...just like the first time he brought him here.

 

      Images of Gabe attacking him filled his head, making him relive his earlier days when he was his guardian. But it was when Gabe took hold of him and bit him that had Jesse shooting up in the bed, crying out. He opened his eyes and looked around. Wait, he wasn't in the woods… His hand went to his neck, feeling nothing out of the ordinary. When he realized he had been dreaming, he flopped back down onto the bed with a curse.

“You alright?”

Hanzo's voice had him pausing for a second. He started to remember what happened. The argument with Gabe and then Jack showing up, shooting at Hanzo… The second gunshot came to his mind. It had been from high up, somewhere in the treetops. _Fucking Amelie_. Goddamn sniper. He wondered if she had acted on her own accord or if it was an order from Gabe. Was she supposed to be aiming for Hanzo and deliberately changed course at the last second? With a sigh, he slowly sat back up, leaning against the headboard and rubbing his face.

“I don't even know,” he grumbled.

Nothing had gone as planned and he still couldn't believe Gabe. What the hell had been his problem? Why had he reacted like that? Was he jealous that someone else had bit him? And then seeing Jack show up...

“It appears that Gabriel believes you are still his to command,” Hanzo said as he sat down on the bed.

Jesse looked towards him. “Our contract was broken nearly ten years ago. I don't get it.”

“You remained on friendly terms and kept in contact, yes?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, ”I mean, he had saved me and raised me. I couldn't just cut him out completely.” He glanced down at his hands, shaking his head. “I just don't understand why he's gotten so...possessive.”

“He probably doesn't want to let you go because of the demon blood.”

Jesse tensed, repeating in his head what Hanzo said. _Because of the demon blood_ … He knew Gabe got involved in some shady shit and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to find out that he had his hands on some demon blood. Rather, he wouldn’t be surprised if _Moira_ had demon blood hidden somewhere in her lab. Now that he thought about it, she _was_ one of the original scientists from way back when they did all those crazy experiments. _Holy shit_...

       It was entirely possible that she was supplying demon blood to Gabe… Jesse’s eyes went wide. Had Gabe been the one to infect him? Was this all his fault? He shook his head. There was no way...no fucking way. He felt Hanzo get off the bed which brought his attention to him.   
“Hanzo,” he swallowed, “do you think it was Gabe who injected the demon blood into me?”

The vampire glanced down at him, “I have my speculations. Especially after today.”

He raised an eyebrow. What exactly did that mean, that he _did_ think Gabe was the one? He looked away, his mind racing around like a hamster running on his wheel.

“Come, you need food.” Hanzo was holding a hand out to him. He hesitated for a moment as he looked back up at him.

The vampire sighed, “I won’t read your mind but I can certainly read your face. I am not sure if it was him. Perhaps he just doesn’t want to be held responsible if you go ‘awol’, as you’ve said. You _are_ quite the liability.”

He furrowed his brows. “Then why are you helping me? Why are you keeping me here?”

Hanzo smiled. “When I find that answer, I’ll let you know.” He shook his hand, “come on.”

Jesse shook his head while chuckling, “you’re somethin’ else, you know.”

He placed his hand into Hanzo’s and was pulled up, but Hanzo pulled too much and his body slammed into the vampire’s.

“Hmm,” he said as he looked down at a blushing Hanzo, “was that on purpose, sweetheart’?” He reached up and started pulling on the elastic in his hair.

“No.”

It was a weak denial which made him laugh a little. His black hair fell, framing his face. “It is truly unfair darlin’ with how beautiful you are.”

Hanzo tilted his head back and lifted himself up on his tippy toes so that his lips could brush up against Jesse’s. “Maybe this is why I keep you around,” he murmured before they kissed.

Well hell, that was unexpected. But he _definitely_ wasn’t going to complain. He took hold of his face as he bent down just enough so that Hanzo didn't need to be on his tippy toes while they continued kissing.

“Thank you,” Hanzo whispered between kisses, “for saving my life.”

Their eyes met and Jesse smiled, “I should be the one thankin’ you, savin’ my life for a second time.”

“If anyone is going to kill you, I'd prefer it to be me.”

Jesse pulled back, his smile fading. He had not expected that response. Would he really kill him? Just like that? After all they went through the past few days? He began stepping back, letting go of him.

Hanzo started laughing, “Jesse, I'm not going to kill you.”

“Then why-”

“I'm not going to let anyone else kill you, either. You're the only one who has listened to me, the only one who believes what I have told you.” Hanzo placed a hand on his bare chest. “I am sorry to say but you are stuck with me now.”

Jesse chuckled, now understanding what he was trying to say. He leaned into him, wrapping his fingers around his wrist. “You say that as if it's a bad thing.” He placed his mouth onto his with a gentle kiss.

 

        As they continued to make out, Jesse realized what this meant - what all of it meant. No more Gabe or Jack ordering him around, no more Nightfall, no more vampire hunting… He was technically going on the run with Hanzo, making him an accomplice. If the truth about the murders of the Shimada clan members didn't get out, Hanzo would still be considered the main suspect and now Jesse would also be tried if they were caught. Not exactly how he wanted things to go but what other options did he have? He wasn't going to go crawling back to Gabe or Jack, even if it meant no more jobs, no more income, and certainly no more ammo or tranquilizers. He pulled back and looked at Hanzo. Would he be able to contain the demon-wolf if he came out?

“Jesse, it will be okay,” Hanzo suddenly said.

His eyes went wide and the vampire smiled.

“I can feel your emotions, remember?”

_Goddammit_. He kept forgetting about that. Even with Hanzo not using his vampire powers to breach his mind, the guy could read him like a damn book.

“If you really want to go back, I won't stop you,” Hanzo then said, going over to the bed and sitting down on the edge.

Jesse stared at the vampire. Remaining with him was going to open a whole can of worms and he probably _should_ go back to NYC and forget that any of this even happened. But Hanzo was alone, fighting this battle on his own and really, Jesse owed him. If it meant giving up everything and beginning a new chapter in his life…then so be it. He wasn't going to abandon him. Plus, he made a really delicious curry. And the sex was pretty fucking amazing.

Jesse smiled and shook his head. “No.” Hanzo's lips parted a little in surprise. He walked to up him. “You may be able to fight against those that are after you on your own and you just may be more powerful than Gabe but,” he paused for a brief second, “I won't let you do it by yourself.”

“Jesse,” he gasped.

There was no turning back now. The one thing he never wanted to do again, the one thing he vowed to himself…was about to go out the window. “Make me your guardian.”

Another gasp left Hanzo's mouth before he shook his head. “No, I will not do that to you.”

“But then Gabe won't touch you.”

“I'm pretty sure Gabriel will try to kill me regardless.”

He pouted a little. “Well, it'll stop Jack and he's the one who actually shot at you.”

Hanzo sighed, “stop trying to reason with me, Jesse.”

“Fiiiine,” he grumbled, taking a step back, “I'm sorry that the meetin' didn't go as expected.”

“There is no need to apologize. We both knew it was going to be difficult trying to get through to Gabriel.”

“Well yeah, but I also hadn't expected the whole gang to be there, especially Jack.”

With a huff, Hanzo got up and grabbed his hand, pulling him along. “Come, I want to show you something.”


	10. Chapter 10

        Hanzo led him outside to the backyard. As soon as Jesse saw the lake behind the cabin, his eyes went wide.

“There's been a lake behind here the entire time?! And you didn't tell me?!”

Jesse made his way down the porch and towards the water. The urge to shift and go swimming was tugging at him.

“Jesse,” Hanzo sighed, “that's not what I wanted to show you.”

He paused and looked back at the vampire before glancing around. There was nothing else that stood out as something to ‘show’ him. What the hell was he talking about then, if it wasn't the lake?

“We are not so different after all, shifter,” Hanzo stated before removing his kimono.

“What...what are you doing?”

The vampire removed all his clothing and then his body began shifting...

     Jesse stood there, dumbfounded and shocked as he watched the vampire transform into a dragon. A goddamn dragon!

“No fucking way,” he muttered as he looked up at the massive being.

The scales on his body were a beautiful shade of an iridescent blue which reminded him of the tattoo on Hanzo's arm. The moonlight shining down on him made the scales look like they were glittering and glowing. There was a huff and the dragon's head turned towards him while he stretched out his wings. Jesse exhaled heavily, the ability to breathe suddenly disappearing. He was so taken aback by the beauty of this creature…no, _Hanzo…_ he was magnificent in this form. He had never seen anything like this. It was almost as if the dragons from the video game he played with Sombra had come to life.

      Suddenly he found himself walking up to him, arm outstretched with his hand out. Hanzo dipped his head towards him, pressing it against his hand. Jesse gasped, pulling back as he stared into Hanzo's big, deep blue dragon eyes. It took a lot to scare him but in that moment, he couldn't deny that he was a teensy bit afraid of Hanzo. He swallowed, his mouth having gone bone dry. _And if he’s Shimada, that means he can control the power of dragons. Dragons, Gabe! Goddamn dragons! Have you ever fought a dragon?_ His conversation with Gabe from the other day came to mind. He had been mostly joking around but now… Reality was staring him down. Literally. Hanzo hadn't taken his eyes away from him and he couldn't pull his gaze away either. _Jesus Christ_ . Hanzo was a fucking dragon. A real, live, giant _dragon_. He couldn't believe it. Even when the vampire shifted back to his normal form, Jesse remained staring at him with his mouth open in shock.

“I take it you've never seen an actual dragon before,” Hanzo said with a chuckle.

Jesse shook his head and blinked. “I…,” the words weren't coming. He couldn't think straight.

“Now you see why I don't need a guardian.”

Something seemed to click in his head. Jesse furrowed his brows. “Just because you can transform into a dragon doesn't mean you're invincible.”

Hanzo laughed, “there he is.” Jesse watched him walk towards the lake. “I was wondering if I lost you there,” the vampire said before diving into the water.

He was still trying to process what he just saw. He was in awe and despite what Hanzo said, he wanted to be his guardian even more now. It didn't matter if he could protect himself or if he was indeed more powerful than Gabe. He was too incredible, too amazing to be left unguarded.

       Jesse gasped as Hanzo suddenly appeared in front of him.

“You going to join me or not?” A hand went to his shoulder, slowly peeling back the bandage. “Your healing abilities are superb.”

He glanced down at his shoulder. The bullet wound was almost fully healed. The cuts on the back of his knees were likely healed as well.

“Alright then.”

Out of nowhere, Hanzo picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder.

“Hey! What are you doing?!,” Jesse shouted, noticing that they were moving. Was he going to throw him into the water? He turned his head. They were getting closer to the lake. He was, wasn't he?! Before he could even think of getting out of his grasp, his body was lifted up and soon flying in the air.

“You son of a bitch!!,” Jesse yelled moments before his body went crashing into the water.

       He came up from the water and wiped his face, pushing his hair back. Hanzo was standing on the grass, laughing his ass off.

“Hilarious,” he rolled his eyes as he began making his way over to him, shifting halfway.

He ran up to Hanzo, jumping up and tackling him to the ground. Shifting back to his human form, Jesse pinned the still laughing vampire to the ground.

“Yeah, yeah, so funny.” The sarcastic tone was very evident in his voice.

“It _was_ pretty funny,” Hanzo was grinning like a fool.

“I'm glad I can make you laugh.”

“Mmm,” he hummed.

Suddenly, Hanzo's legs wrapped around his and with unexpected strength, the vampire freed his arms, taking hold of him and rolling them in the grass. Now Jesse was on his back looking up at Hanzo, who had _him_ pinned.

“You think you're stronger than me?,” Jesse smirked.

“Think? I know I am.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

With a laugh, Jesse pulled almost the same move and the two of them began wrestling.

 

        After about ten minutes of going back and forth to see who was stronger, they called a truce and laid on their backs beside each other. Both of them were out of breath, laughing and looking up at the night sky.

“I haven't had this much fun in a long time,” Hanzo said, “thank you, Jesse.”

Every time he said his name, it felt like his heart skipped a beat. He didn't understand the strange feelings that were swirling around in his chest and belly. Turning his head, he looked at Hanzo. Still gorgeous as ever. Still a vampire…oh and a fucking dragon.

“Make me your guardian.”  The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Hanzo looked at him, his smile fading. “No. Stop asking.”

“I'm not asking.” Jesse got up on an elbow as Hanzo sighed.

“We do not need to make the contract to have you protect me, as you have already done.”

Jesse studied him. A certain look that he couldn't quite understand was in his eyes. “Are you afraid? Is that it? Are you worried about being the reason for my death?”

Hanzo sat up. “No, I am not afraid. And I’m not worried but I would rather not have your death on my shoulders.”

“Then why?,” he squinted at him, “wait, you’ve never had a guardian, have you?”

He watched an eye twitch but then Hanzo moved too fast to keep track and soon the vampire was on top of him.   
“I would rather have you as something else,” he suddenly whispered, his lips brushing up against his.

Jesse’s eyes went wide. _Something else?_ What the hell did he mean by that?! He couldn’t mean… He played off his nervousness with a laugh. “Like what, your lover?”

Their eyes met for a brief moment before Hanzo kissed him, “perhaps.”

Shit, was he being serious? Vampires and werewolves were not ‘allowed’ to be romantically involved. There was a law banning it. Not that it stopped anyone before. And it wasn’t like Jesse paid attention to the “rules”, but still…this was Hanzo Shimada we were talking about. He wasn’t good enough for him as a lover. Hell, he wasn’t really good enough to be his guardian either. In comparison, Hanzo was the King and he was a lowly peasant.

Jesse held the back of Hanzo’s head while the vampire went on to kiss his neck and shoulder. There was no denying that he was attracted to Hanzo - physically and emotionally, if that was even a thing. He liked everything about Hanzo, including his stubbornness. The guy was levelheaded, smart as hell, passionate, and a little mischievous.  He was everything that Jesse could ever want in a partner. He could even push aside the fact that he was a lousy _vampire_. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t mind the idea of becoming his ‘lover’ or ‘boyfriend’, whatever. But even though it was within reach, it was never going to happen.

“Nonsense,” Jesse said, pushing him off and getting up.

Without another word, he made his way back towards the cabin. Getting close to the vampire was a mistake. He needed to distance himself before things got out of hand. Well, _more_ out of hand. The last thing he needed was to start having feelings and falling for this guy….which he was afraid might already be happening.

 

       Just as he was about to reach the door to go inside, he sensed Hanzo behind him.

“Are you saying you don't like the idea?,” Hanzo asked, his arms going around him, his hands running up his chest. _Bloody hell_. As he began kissing his upper back, Jesse needed to come up with a reason to get him to stop, even if he enjoyed his touch as much as he did.

“It is prohibited,” he stated, his voice weak like his ability to make Hanzo stop.

The vampire chuckled, pressing his body up against his. Jesse bit down on his tongue to keep from groaning as he felt Hanzo's hardness against him. God, he was making this so difficult.

“When were you ever a follower of rules?,” Hanzo whispered, his mouth right by his ear. One of his hands starting wandering downwards, his fingers leaving a trail of heat on his chest. It didn't matter that he had boxers on - the instant Hanzo's hand cupped him, a moan left Jesse's mouth as he leaned back into him.

“H-Hanzo,” he muttered.

He wanted to tell him to stop, wanted to push him away. But he couldn't. He realized he desired him more than anything else. _Goddamn it all to hell_ . Hanzo's hand slipped inside his boxers, pushing them down and exposing his ever-hardening length. He cursed as the vampire wrapped his fingers around him, stroking slowly. _Ahh,_ it felt so good... Jesse was melting under his touch, losing the grip he had on himself.

“You go on about my beauty as if you have never taken a good look at yourself,” Hanzo whispered, kissing his ear, making his way down to his neck with his mouth.

Jesse was losing focus. What was Hanzo saying? Was he implying that he was beautiful? Cuz that was the last thing anyone had ever said about his looks...

“Jesse,” Hanzo murmured softly.

Oh God… _don't say my name like that…_

“I want you.”

His entire body responded, waves of heat flowing throughout him. He groaned, throwing his head back. Yep, he had lost this fight. There was no stopping now.

“Hanzo.”

Suddenly he was spun around and pushed up against the wall of the cabin. His eyes met Hanzo's briefly before their mouths met in a rough kiss. His boxers were pulled down further, falling to his ankles before Hanzo broke their kiss to take hold of him, lifting him up. Jesse wrapped his legs around his waist as he felt the tip of Hanzo's own hardness press up against him. Hands went to his ass, spreading his cheeks. Jesse gripped his shoulders as Hanzo began slowly entering him. _Ah fuck_ . This guy was good. So, so good. His head went back, a deep moan escaping as Hanzo filled him and began thrusting. Their mouths met in another rough kiss, followed by another and then another. Hell. Who was he kidding? He wanted to be Hanzo's lover more than anything. He wanted to call him _his_.

      Using the wall for balance, Jesse held onto Hanzo's shoulders, pressing his forehead against his...all while Hanzo took him as if they had been lovers for years, nothing being held back. Muffled moans and other sounds of pleasure drowned out the chirping of the night insects. The moon shined down on them as if it was a spotlight. Jesse pulled his head back slightly, his eyes meeting Hanzo's. The look of pleasure and satisfaction stared back at him. In that moment, he realized he never wanted to let go of Hanzo. Guardian or not, he wanted to remain by his side…as a friend, a partner, an accomplice...a lover. With a smile, he kissed him.

“Lovers it is,” he whispered.

Hanzo's response was to move faster and harder, making him throw his head back again, a loud moan coming out of him. Ecstasy was approaching quickly. Jesse leaned forwards and grabbed onto the vampire’s shoulders just as the orgasm hit him. He heard his name called out on a pleasurable cry while Hanzo’s body trembled, the grip on him loosening.

Jesse chuckled as he held on tight so he didn’t fall, “maybe not the best position, eh?”

Hanzo laughed while grabbing his ass and shifting him, pulling out at the same time, “well if someone wasn’t so heavy.”

“Pffft,” he muttered, “I blame your curry.”

“I only made it for you once.”

“Exactly. You made me fat from just that one time.”

They both laughed and Jesse took hold of Hanzo’s face, kissing him. “You can put me down, ya know.”

“Hmm, I could,” he kissed back, “but I rather like holding you.”

He chuckled. “Be careful, vampire…”

“I think you are the one that needs to be careful, shifter.” Hanzo gently bit down on his bottom lip. “We wouldn't want you falling.”

His voice trailed off and Jesse's heart skipped a beat. Was there a hidden meaning in that statement? Did he sense that he may have feelings for him? _Shit_. Wait, were they moving? He was so caught up in his thoughts that he wasn’t paying any attention until it was too late. Hanzo threw him into the lake. Again.

    Jesse came up, whipping his hair back and wiping his face. As he opened his eyes, the vampire was in the water, standing in front of him.

“You’re such an asshole,” he sighed.   
  
Hanzo laughed, “you’re too easy to fool.”

“You just like messin’ with me.” He splashed water at him.

“Perhaps.”

_God_ , Hanzo was such a pain in the ass. Case in point - the bastard jumped on him, pushing him down into the water. There was no way Jesse was going to go down without a fight, even if they were just messing around. They began wrestling in the water, much like they had on the grass earlier. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t having fun.

Hanzo made him forget about the incident with Gabe and Jack, made him forget about all the stress, made him forget about the current situation they were in. _I would rather have you as something else_ . He paused as he was pushed down into the water and looked up at Hanzo. _Ah, shit_ … he _was_ falling for him… Suddenly there was a loud crash of thunder. He felt Hanzo grab his hand and then he was pulled up. Looking up at the sky, he saw that clouds were rolling in pretty quickly, bringing with them a summer storm. Lightning flashed, distracting him.

“Jesse, we should head inside.”

He glanced at Hanzo and then down at his hand, which was still being held. Grinning, he pulled the vampire to him. He wrapped his arm around Hanzo as his body slammed into his and kissed him. It was unfair with how soft his lips were...it just made him want to kiss him more. Thunder crashed above them followed by more lightning as it began raining. “Jesse,” Hanzo said with a small laugh, “come on. We're gonna get struck by lightning.”

He pulled back and sighed. “Fiiiine.”

       The two of them made their way back inside, Hanzo grabbing towels from the bathroom, handing him one. He dried off before sitting down on the bed. What a past couple of days he's had… Exhaustion was creeping up on him. Made sense since it was almost dawn.

“Thank you,” Hanzo suddenly said as he joined him in the bed.

He looked towards him, “for what, darlin’?”

The vampire gave him a sincere smile as he laid down. “For trying to talk to Gabriel, for taking that bullet and defending me.”

He laid down on his side, facing him. “Just did what I thought was right. If you're tellin’ me the truth about your clan then I won't let them wrongly accuse you. Vampire or not, everyone deserves proper judgement.”

Hanzo smiled again, his hand going to Jesse's head, pushing some hair back. He then moved in closer to him. “You're a good man, Jesse McCree.” Hanzo kissed him softly.

“I ain't sure about all that but I'll take it.”

They kissed a couple more times before the vampire kissed his forehead, whispered goodnight and turned onto his other side. Jesse stared at his back for a minute before he found himself cuddling up to him, putting his arm around his body. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. _So warm._ Yeah, he could get used to this.

“I will consider your offer to be my guardian. But I make no promises that it will actually happen,” Hanzo suddenly said, his hand covering Jesse's.

His eyes went wide for a moment. “Thank you,” he whispered in response before placing a gentle kiss on his back. He hadn't been expecting that. At all. He drifted off to sleep thinking about what it would be like to be his guardian.


	11. Chapter 11

       Sombra sat sideways in one of the chairs in Gabe's office, her legs dangling while she played on her tablet. Gabe and Jack were arguing, per the norm. She was listening but not paying much attention. She was supposed to be ‘finding Jesse’ (Gabe's orders) but she was browsing through the Hanamura Police Department's records instead. What Jesse had said in the woods had struck her in a strange way. If he was telling the truth, well, if he had been  _ told _ the truth by this Hanzo guy, then who killed the Shimada clan? Whoever it was, they were trying to make Hanzo out as the culprit, setting him up for the death penalty. 

      “Jack, I need to discuss something with you.” 

Sombra glanced up from the tablet and watched Gabe go over to the liquor cabinet, pulling out a bottle of his fancy whiskey. 

“What more is there to discuss?! I've lost my best vampire hunter and it's all your goddamn fault!” 

She went back to her ‘research', not wanting to get involved. She wasn't even sure why she was there. But whew boy, Jack was livid. As he should be, she supposed. It seemed like Jesse had just wanted to talk and explain what was going on but Gabe never even gave him the chance. And then Amelie...that dumb bitch. She had totally been aiming for Jesse, not Hanzo. Of course Gabe didn't see it that way. Even Akande recognized what really happened...

      Gabe sat down at his desk and opened a folder, turning it around to show Jack, who reluctantly walked up to the desk and looked down at the file. 

“Who's this?,” he asked.

“This is the man who gave me the order to kill that Shimada guy.” 

Sombra tried to keep her eyes on the tablet but this was new information to her. She looked over at the desk, attempting to remain uninterested. 

Jack picked up the folder. “Maximilien…a vampire, I assume?” 

“Yes. He holds the third seat on the Council and is quite the wealthy entrepreneur,” Gabe answered, reclining back and putting his feet up on the desk while sipping his whiskey and lightning a cigarette.

“So the order came from the Council…,” Jack's voice trailed off. 

“Sure did. It doesn't matter what Jesse says, this is a direct order from Council to have Hanzo Shimada either taken into custody or killed, doesn't matter which.”

Jack tossed the file down onto the desk, his hands going to his hips. “Gabe, that makes no sense. Isn't Hanzo the son of Sojiro?” 

“Uhhh,” Gabe's eyes started wandering.

“Yes,” Sombra blurted before clearing her throat as they both eyed her, “sorry for interrupting.” 

Jack shook his head, “Sojiro holds the second seat. Why would he order the death or capture of his own son?” 

_ Wait...What?!  _ Sombra was nearly screaming on the inside. She went back to her tablet and then froze as a file popped up. She hopped off the chair, clutching the tablet to her chest. “I'm sorry, I'm feeling a bit tired. I'm going to go to my room,” she stated.

“Alright Som, get some rest and then continue with the search.” 

She bowed, “yes sir.” Not a second later, she bolted. Once in her room, she pulled out her laptop and began doing searches on the Shimada clan. Something wasn't right and she was going to find it. No matter how long it took her. 

 

     Sombra spent the rest of the evening, continuing through the day gathering information. The police reports did in fact mention that there  _ was _ another body missing from the Shimada castle. However, for some reason that slight detail was blacked out and not being released. After some digging, she found out that Hanzo had a brother named Genji. He was not listed as one of the deceased. Was he the second body missing? Had to be, no doubt. She tried doing a search for him but ran into a dead end so she began looking up the Maximilien guy. She had heard his name mentioned a couple times. He was a multi millionaire, the owner of several casinos around the world. And a member of the Council, apparently. 

      Hacking into the main database of his casinos, she started going through all the files. Everything looked normal…income and expense reports, employee records, security files, plans for building new casinos… wait a second… She opened one of the files named ‘Hanamura’. It was filled with building layouts, proposals, permits - everything needed for putting up a new casino in Hanamura. One a separate screen, she pulled up the location of the Shimada castle. The proposed location for the casino was awfully close to the castle…  _ Strange _ . 

       She moved on, wanting to know more about Maximilien. If he gave the order to Gabe to kill Hanzo, was it an order from Council or… was it just from  _ him _ ? Had he made it seem like it was from Council so that Gabe wouldn’t object? She contemplated. Gabe probably wouldn’t object either way, so now she wondered exactly what his relationship was with Maximilien. Despite Gabe being of royal blood, he refused to become part of Council. Always went on about how Council was ‘shit’...so why was he so adamant that Jesse kill this Hanzo guy? Was there something more to it? 

       She glanced at the clock. It was about one in the afternoon. She should stop and get some rest, but her fingers and eyes kept moving. And that’s when she clicked on a file and a photo popped up on the screen. It was a picture of Maximilien and Gabe standing beside each other with a green-haired man in front of them.  _ Who was that?! _ More importantly, when was this taken? Why was Gabe with Maximilien? She studied the photo for a couple minutes before yawning. Hell, she needed to get some sleep. She glanced at the clock again. Fifteen minutes had passed. She got into her bed, closing her laptop and tablet with a plan to sleep for a couple hours and then go back to her research. 

 

       Jesse slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the darkness. He started to sit up only to find Hanzo's head on his chest. A smile formed on his face, his heart melting. What a sight. He wished he had his cell phone to snap a pic. Mainly for blackmail, but also because he kind of wanted to remember this moment. He leaned back on an elbow while he gently ran his fingers through the vampire’s hair. Hanzo looked so peaceful as he slept, part of him didn't want to wake him. But his stomach had started growling. 

He continued playing with his hair. “Hey,” he whispered. No response. He didn't budge. “Hanzo,” he said a little louder. 

Suddenly the vampire bolted up and looked around the room, ready to attack. Once his eyes met Jesse's, he exhaled. “Gomen.” 

With a chuckle, Jesse sat up. “No need to apologize.” His stomach grumbled loud enough for both of them to hear and Hanzo raised an eyebrow at him while he blushed.

“Always hungry,” Hanzo smiled before getting up. 

 

       Hanzo wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was nearly empty minus some eggs, milk, and random vegetables.  _ Shit _ . He had only bought enough ingredients for the curry that was supposed to last a whole week, if not longer. Until the werewolf showed up. Time to hit up the store, he supposed. As he closed the fridge and turned around, Jesse was standing there grinning like a fool. He sucked in his breath, catching himself before he jumped up to the ceiling again.

“Stop…doing that,” he sighed. 

Jesse laughed. “Are you that distracted that you can't sense me coming up behind you?” 

“Urasai,” he snapped.

“Whoa,” the wolf put up his hands, “I was just teasin’ ya.” 

He took a deep breath, looking at Jesse. His brown eyes were so soft and comforting, innocent in a way. “Sorry,” he exhaled, “just frustrated that I don't have much food since someone ate all the curry.” 

“That was like three or four days ago!"  


“I know! No wonder we're starving.” 

“Then let's go get something.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “You mean…go out to dinner?” 

Jesse gave him a look that made him feel dumb. He sighed and glanced away, thinking. They could hit up that Walmart and pick up some more food and supplies. He  _ did _ need more bandages. He looked back at the wolf.

“Alright. I need to go to the store anyway.” 

“Oooo, is this like our first date?” 

He rolled his eyes while Jesse chuckled. “Go get dressed.” 

“In what, darlin’? I'm running out of clothes with all the shiftin’ I've been doing.” 

Right. He didn't have much to begin with. His backpack only had one set of clothes. Those and the clothes he originally wore were torn to shreds from the shifting. 

“I'll give you something.” He then left for the bedroom. 

       Jesse followed Hanzo, a pile of clothes being thrown at him as soon as he walked into the room. Black gym shorts and a black muscle tank, with black boxers to complete the outfit. 

“Thank goodness, I can't see myself wearing one of those kimono things and having a tiddy exposed,” he stated while getting dressed. 

Hanzo chuckled, “I'd like to see that one day.” 

Jesse paused while putting the tank over his head. “Would you now?” 

“Very much so.” 

He took the tank off. “Well, hell. Give it here then.” 

With a laugh, Hanzo handed him one of his one-sleeved kimonos. This one was a bright yellow with black etching and a black belt.   
  
“This...this is an obnoxious color,” he raised an eyebrow as he glanced up at him. 

“Hey, my mother gave that to me.”

“Oh,” he frowned, “my bad.”

“I'm kidding.” Hanzo laughed as he walked up to him and started helping him get into it as if he was some kind of noob. But it was a tender moment and he had no desire to push him away so he let him continue. 

As Hanzo tied the belt around his waist, he took hold of his wrists, making him look up at him. The blue in his eyes nearly took his breath away. For a brief moment, he envisioned them in almost the same situation only Hanzo helping him with a tie instead, while he was dressed in a full-on tuxedo. Hanzo was dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono, dark blue in color to match his tattoo. Wait...was this a  _ wedding _ ?! He cursed to himself. Oh no. HELL no. 

“Jesse?”

He shook his head and immediately let go of Hanzo’s wrists. “Sorry.”

“You okay? You look like you saw a ghost or something.”

He swallowed. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

Hanzo gave him a small smile before stepping back and eyeing him up and down. “Mmm, not bad.”

Jesse spotted his cowboy hat on top of the dresser. Grinning, he went over and grabbed it, putting it on his head. “This is better.” 

Hanzo chuckled, coming up to him. “Now you look ridiculous.” He took hold of the hat while getting on his tippy toes. “Ridiculously cute,” he added before kissing him. 

Jesse couldn't resist him and returned the kiss, which of course led to more. It wasn't his fault that Hanzo was a good kisser and had such soft lips. He could spend all day and night kissing the vampire. But it always led to something more, the passion always rising between them the longer they kept it up. Not that he minded, but now feelings were involved. He wasn't sure if Hanzo was on the same page as him and that was a concern. Jesse knew that he needed to get rid of these goddamn  _ feeling _ s for they were just going to cause problems. 

“Han,” he mumbled as he stepped back, their eyes meeting, “shouldn't we get going?” 

The vampire sighed, glancing at the clock. “Yeah,  _ someone _ is hungry.” 

“Hey,” he smiled, “I'm a growing...wolf.” 

Hanzo laughed, kissing him once more, “you're silly, you know that?”

With a chuckle, Jesse removed the kimono and handed it him. “I know.” 

     They both finished getting dressed and then left the cabin. Jesse had no idea where they were going. All he knew was that he was _ really _ hungry. 

“It would probably be better if you shifted,” Hanzo suggested. 

“How far are we goin’?,” he asked.

“It's a ways away. Shift and I will carry you with your clothes.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “Uhhh…”

“You don't want to get caught in another trap, do you?” 

Damn him and his logic. With a huff, he began stripping and then handed his clothes and wallet to the vampire before shifting into a fluffy wolf. He then sat and glanced up at the vampire. 

Hanzo smiled as he looked down at Jesse, patting his head. 

“Hop onto my back,” he instructed before turning around and bending down.

The wolf did as he was told and jumped up onto his back, his front paws going to his shoulders. After tucking his clothes and wallet into his kimono, Hanzo reached back to make sure he was secure enough before he jumped up into the air. 

“Hold on.” He then took off, dashing through the night sky nearly undetectable.


	12. Chapter 12

        Jesse held on for his dear life, screaming on the inside. Hanzo was fast. _Really_ fast. He had to rest his head on his shoulder and close his eyes to keep from getting dizzy. Thankfully though, with his speed the trip wasn’t long. He could feel Hanzo slowing down and lifted his head to look around. The vampire had brought them to the ground and was now walking...still carrying him on his back. He didn’t need to be… Jesse wondered why he didn’t say anything? Maybe he liked having a dog on him? He laughed to himself and then nudged his nose up against the side of his face.  
  
“What?,” Hanzo asked, glancing at him.

_Dumbass_ , he thought. It wasn’t like he could answer. So instead, he began licking his face. Repeatedly. He was aiming to be as annoying as possible. This was payback for him always teasin’ him.

“Ahhh,” Hanzo tried swatting him away, “cut it out!”

He was laughing and Jesse was absolutely loving this. It wasn't so much as teasing now as it was just to hear him laugh. He moved up on his back so he could access more of his face, licking him all over.

“Jesse.”

His name was said on a chuckle. Jesse paused for a moment and barked. Hanzo 'shhh’d’ him and he looked ahead of them. They were coming up to a clearing, a shopping plaza in front of them.  He supposed he could get down now and shift into his human form. Hanzo stopped walking and he took that as an okay to go ahead. He hopped off and shifted.

“Thanks for the ride,” he grinned.

Hanzo shook his head but was smiling. “You are obnoxious.”

He took the clothes that he was holding out for him. “Hmm, I've been called that before, once or twice.”

“I'm sure it was more than just twice.”

Jesse laughed as he got dressed. “You love it.”

It had been a joke but he realized as Hanzo responded with a “yes” that maybe he hadn't taken it that way. Their eyes met and he swallowed, the smile fading from his face. Well this had turned much more serious than he had expected…

“Come on, let's get something to eat and then get the shopping done.” Hanzo was holding out his wallet.

“R-right,” he stumbled, taking the wallet from him.

          The two of them walked up to the plaza where there were multiple shops, a Walmart Supercenter and a couple restaurants.

“What ya feelin’ like for food?,” Jesse asked, looking at their options - a Chinese restaurant, a sub shop, a pizza place, an Italian restaurant and a steakhouse. He already knew what he wanted but he'd let Hanzo make the decision.

“You choose. You know more about this cuisine than I do,” the vampire answered.

“There ain't much to it, darlin’. You want American-ized Chinese food, a simple sandwich, greasy ass pizza, crappy pasta that I can make better myself or steak?”

“Hmmm…,” he hummed before turning to him. “I'm pretty sure I know which you would choose.”

“Don't worry about what I want. You choose what _you_ want.”

“Heh,” he suddenly took his hand and pulled him along, “such a silly wolf.”

        The two of them walked into the steakhouse and were seated right away. The restaurant was decorated in a Western style with cowboy and horse pictures, cowboys boots, hats everywhere.

“This must be your favorite place,” Hanzo teased.

Jesse looked up at the picture behind him. It was of a cowboy on his horse. “Yeah, it ain't bad.”

The waitress came up and they ordered drinks and some appetizers. Jesse was _starving_ and had no doubts that he would eat everything placed in front of him.

      While they waited for their drinks, he glanced up from the menu to find Hanzo watching him. “Hm?”

“Get whatever you want. My treat,” he advised.

“I'm expensive to feed, ya know.”

“I am quickly becoming aware of that.”

He shook his head with a laugh, going back to looking at the menu. “I'm sorry I ate all your curry.”

Now Hanzo laughed, “it is no problem. You were injured.”

“I'm also always injured,” he glanced up.

“I am aware of that as well.”  

The waitress came with the drinks and they finished ordering. Jesse decided on the biggest steak they had - a nice Porterhouse. Not to his surprise, Hanzo got the filet.

        As the waitress left, he took a sip of his Jack and Coke and looked at Hanzo. Hell, this _really_ felt like a date now. He began feeling nervous and cleared his throat, looking down at his drink, playing with the tiny straw.

“It will be okay, Jesse,” Hanzo broke the awkward silence.

He glanced up at him in confusion.

“I know you must be worried about staying with me. You're giving up everything to be here right now,” the vampire continued. _Oh_...that's what he meant…

He took a sip. “Darlin’, I ain't worried about all that.”

Even though he said it, there was a small part of him that _was_ a little concerned about the coming days. But it wasn’t that big of a deal. When he left Gabe’s, he had been on his own and managed to survive. He could do it again. Plus this time around, he wouldn’t be alone...which he was still trying to wrap his head around. He found it amusing that two loners who preferred to do everything by themselves had found a companionship with each other.

“If you are not worried, then why do you look so troubled? And why are you always so tense?” Hanzo distracted him from his thoughts and he looked at him over the rim of the glass.

He wasn’t about to tell him what was _really_ bothering him. Even though he was pretty certain that Hanzo already knew. Because he knew everything about him without him ever saying a damn thing. It donned on him that he still barely knew Hanzo. “I’m fine,” he answered, looking away and at the TV hanging above the bar.

    Suddenly Hanzo’s hand came down on top of the one he was resting on the table. There was a tingling sensation from where their skin was touching.  
  
_Motherfucker!_ He knew exactly what he was doing. “Han-,” he started before he was cut off.

“I have not used my powers on you up until now. I want to understand you better, Jesse. I want to know why you’re so stressed.”

_Bloody hell_ . When he put it like that, it made it ten times more difficult to say no. He didn’t want him in his head. It was a pretty fucked up place, nevermind that he didn’t want him to discover how he was freakin’ fallin’ for the guy. He just stared at him, needing a distraction. _Where was the food?!_ He started looking around to see if the waitress was coming with a tray of appetizers.

“Please?,” Hanzo pulled his attention right back to him as he squeezed his hand, “may I?”

He started to shake his head, “you don’t want to venture there. Trust me, you really don’t.”

Thanfully, the waitress appeared with a plate of chicken wings and fried shrimp. _Hallelujah!_ Hanzo let go of his hand and he threw that thing under the table so fast… then he realized he needed his damn hand to pick up the food. Lord have mercy, he was a damn mess. He ordered another Jack & Coke and began attacking the wings before Hanzo could say or do anything more.

       Nothing more was said in regards to Jesse’s stress level or Hanzo’s desire to invade his brain. They actually didn’t talk too much between the time the appetizers came and the actual meal itself. They _did_ talk about the incident with Gabe. Jesse wasn’t sure where to go from that. Hanzo was still on the run as a suspect and now Jesse could be charged with aiding and abetting. This was not how he originally wanted things to go, but there wasn’t much either of them could do about it. Gabe had been their only source of assistance and now that was gone. With Jack showing up, he was clearly on Gabe’s side so there was no point in bothering with him. They didn’t really have many options other than just stay at the cabin and go on with their lives.  If Hanzo was able to contain the demon when it came out, like he did during the full moon, they’d be all set. It didn’t sound so bad, to be honest.

       The waitress took their empty plates and asked if they wanted dessert. Jesse looked at the dessert menu. He could still eat. Something sweet sounded pretty good.

“Cheesecake,” they both said at the same time.

The waitress chuckled, “did you want one to share or one for each of you?”

Jesse eyed Hanzo, who was already staring at him. Hanzo then looked at the waitress, “we’ll get one to share.”

She nodded and left.

“I still have enough room to eat the whole thing,” Jesse mentioned.

“You’re going to get fat,” Hanzo pointed his butter knife at him.

“What are you, my wife?” He froze as soon as the words left his mouth. He could feel his cheeks getting hot. _Shiiiiit_. Why did he say that?!

Hanzo burst into laughter. Jesse just stared at him, confused. “You are so funny now that you’ve gotten comfortable around me.”

He didn’t even know what to say so he sat there, his leg shaking nervously.

“Here you go gentlemen,” the waitress showed up, putting the plate down in the middle of the table. “I also brought your check, no rush, anytime you are ready.”

“Thank you,” Hanzo smiled up at her.

Jesse watched her blush, doing a little bow before leaving. He understood _exactly_ how she felt. Hanzo had quite the effect on people.

“After you,” the vampire said, holding out a spoon for him.

_Alright, Jesse. Get your shit together._  He took the spoon and was about to take the first piece when Hanzo stuck his spoon between his and the cheesecake. He raised an eyebrow, eyeing him.

“If I make you my guardian, I will need to know all that’s in your,” Hanzo waved his spoon around, “head. No matter the details.”

He sighed, digging his spoon in and grabbing a bite before he was stopped again. “It’s a hell hole, darlin’.”

“I didn’t imagine it was all rainbows and unicorns.”

He ignored his comment and ate half of the cheesecake before putting his spoon down and sitting back. He didn’t want Hanzo in his head for a few different reasons. Having him see how he felt for him was the least of his concerns. There were much darker, deeper, terrifying things that he just didn’t need to know about.

“You know,” Hanzo said in between bites, “if I get into your head, I might see who injected you with the demon blood.”

Jesse’s body tensed. _Shit_ . He was right. There was a very good chance that he could go that far back and see how it all happened. He watched Hanzo take the last bit of cheesecake before dragging his finger through the strawberry sauce that was left on the plate. Then the bastard brought his finger to his lips, slowly running his tongue along it. _Jesus Christ_. Now he was tense for a whole different reason. “Knock it off,” he said, kicking him under the table.

Hanzo laughed and he just shook his head, finished his third Jack & Coke before snatching the pack of cigarettes and lighter off the table and taking off to the exit.

 

      Fucking hell. This guy… he was _nothing_ that he had expected. And he kept surprising him. He pulled out a cigarette, examined it, shrugged his shoulders and then lit it. He leaned up against the building, taking a long drag. It had been a long time since he smoked an actual cigarette. He would have preferred his normal cigarillo but he was out and desperate for _something_ . Hanzo got him all riled up, over different things. And the jackass wanted to know why he was so stressed? Shit, half of it was because of _him_. He sighed and glanced up at the sky. He sensed Hanzo before he even stepped outside.

“I am sorry for teasing you,” the vampire softly said.

Jesse turned to him, handing him the cigarettes and lighter. “It's alright.” He gave him a soft smile. “I'm just being moody.”

“Usually that's me,” Hanzo lit a cigarette and they started walking towards the Walmart entrance.

It felt oddly comfortable being beside him. Hell, everything with the vampire had been comfortable practically from day one.

        They went into Walmart and the ridiculously bright lights got Jesse thinking. He wondered if news of Hanzo's whereabouts had been broadcasted on the local news yet. If so, then they were at risk of being caught. Hanzo didn't seem to give a shit so he must have a plan. Perhaps he didn't need to worry. He followed him to the men's clothing section. Right. Clothes.

        He started searching through the Wrangler jeans for his size, picking up a couple pairs.

“Hey Hanzo, Aren't you worried that someone will recognize you?,” he decided to ask.

“I'm a _vampire_ , Jesse.”

“Yeeeaahh…” That much was obvious. Was Hanzo that confident in himself? He shook his head and headed over to the t-shirts aisle. He grabbed a four pack of black Hanes t-shirts before turning to Hanzo but he was gone. Where the hell did he go? He looked up and down the aisle, wandering to the next one. No sight of him. He cursed and rolled his eyes. Such a pain in the ass...

       Suddenly he felt warm breath on his neck, making him freeze. He hadn't even noticed him come up behind him.

“Point made,” he stated.

“I was starting to wonder if you forgot my abilities.”

He turned his face towards him. Their lips were awfully close. “Hmm, how could I forget how _amazing_ you are?”

“Throwing out compliments are we?”

He met his eyes for a moment and then looked at his lips. The desire to kiss him went through the roof.

“Who said I was complimenting you?” He snickered and then walked off.

 

      Hanzo grinned as he followed the wolf. He was starting to really like the guy.  Had quite the personality, was easy on the eyes, and the sex was good. But it wasn’t just those things that had him interested. The guy had a good heart, was honest, didn't take shit from anyone, and he was selfless. The moment when he jumped in front of him to save his life kept replaying in his head. He could've just let the bullet hit and kill him, ending the problem of having to help and protect him. He would've been able to go back to Gabriel, back to New York, back to his normal life. The image of his demonic beast came to mind. Okay, his not-so-normal life.

Hanzo watched as Jesse searched through packages of boxers. Never had he expected to run into someone like him when he came to NH in search of Gabriel. Even though the vampire didn't want to hear them out and help, he was starting to think that finding Jesse was a better solution. Now if only he could get into his head. The offer to become his guardian was growing on him. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to go through with it. There were multiple benefits to making the contract. They would be able to communicate to each other through their minds, not needing to actually speak. They would know where each other were, (within a reasonable distance) in the event they got separated. And the biggest perk: they would share power. Hanzo still didn't know the extent of Jesse's powers but he could tell that he wasn't some puny wolf. In return for him sharing his power, Jesse would receive some of his own powers. The whole point was to make the werewolf a stronger protector. But... he also wondered how the demon blood would affect it all. It could be extremely dangerous for them to make the contract. That was a risk he wasn’t he wanted to take. Not yet, anyway.

        “Alright, I think I got what I need.” Jesse's voice brought him back to the present. He smiled as the wolf turned to him.  “You alright?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Cool. You want to get the stuff that you need?”

He nodded and they headed to the food side of the store.

        “How are we gonna get this stuff back to the cabin?,” Jesse asked as Hanzo filled a basket with meat.

“We carry it,” he answered flatly.

“Well no shit but how are you gonna carry all these bags _and_ me?”

He turned to him. “You underestimate me.”

“Pffft. I do not.”

Hanzo laughed and went over to the vegetables. Jesse shook his head and followed. This vampire was overly confident in himself, no doubt. But whatever. If he said he could do it, then he must be able to.

        They finished getting the things they needed, checked out and began heading back. As Hanzo stated, he managed to carry all the bags as well as Jesse on his back. The trip home didn't seem very long but as soon as they got closer, Jesse's sense of smell picked up the scent of a vampire. He barked and hopped off of Hanzo's shoulders, shifting into his human form.

“Stop,” he demanded, “someone's here.”

“Yes, I can smell them too.”

Jesse breathed in deep. The cabin was in sight but they were still a good distance from it. He couldn't see anyone…yet. Wait a sec… That scent. It was familiar. _Sombra?!?_ He began walking towards the cabin. What was she doing here? How did she find this place? Hell, that was a dumb question. He shouldn't be surprised that she found them.

“Stay here,” he advised Hanzo. If she was here, it was possible that Gabe was as well and they could be walking into an ambush.

         

         As he got closer to the house, the scent got stronger. She was here…somewhere. “Sombra!!,” he yelled, a bit peeved.

Suddenly she appeared in the middle of the front lawn. She was carrying two backpacks, one of them being his from his car. Huh? What was she doing with it?

“Jesse! Oh my God! I am so glad I found you!” She sounded out of breath.

He walked up to her. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I had to find you as soon as possible! That Shimada guy is telling you the truth! There was another body missing from the scene,” she rambled.

He had to be cautious, even if it was her. He didn't want to give up information that she may or may not know, especially if Gabe was lurking around somewhere. “I already knew that.” His voice was a little cold. He eyed the backpacks. “What’s with the bags?”

“Oh!,” she held out his, “I got it from your car. I figured you'd need it.”

“You broke into my car?”

“Umm...maybe?”

He sighed. “Where is he?”

She gave him a confused look. “Where is who?”

“Stop playing me, Som. Where's Gabe?”

“Gabe? He's at his house. I'm alone.” She began fiddling with one of the straps of his backpack, “I, uh, I ran away. He doesn't know I'm here.”

His eyes went wide. “What?! Why?!”

“Jesse, I've been researching since last night. There is _so_ much more to all of this! I needed to find you and that Hanzo guy.”

“Sombra!,” he scolded, “you can't just leave Gabe's!”

“Welllll, I did. He probably doesn't even know I'm gone. He's too busy arguing with Jack.”

Jesse cursed. This was bad. Real bad. All of the vampire in Gabe's house took oaths to be aligned with him and if that was broken, they would be punished. This was a typical thing among vampires. Similar to the guardian contracts, only not so ‘involved’. There was no transfer of power or anything as such, but it binded those who agreed to their 'Master’. Depending on the agreement, rebelling or disobeying could result in death. He didn't know the specifics of her contract with him but that really didn't matter.

“You need to go back. Now. Before he realizes you're gone.”

“No,” she stood her ground, “I already made my decision. I am not going back.”

“I don't give a shit! Your loyalties lie with him, not me! Go back, Sombra.”

“Jesse.” Hanzo came up beside him. His voice made him stop, his body going a little tense. He glanced to his side to see him standing there with a smile on his face.

“Sombra, is it?,” Hanzo asked.

“Y-yes,” she nodded and bowed to the vampire.

“What have you found in your research, if I may ask?”

“Well, there is a _lot_. Most importantly, the order to kill you came from the Council.”

“Huh?,” Jesse asked, furrowing his brows, confused as all hell. _Why would_ -

“That is impossible,” Hanzo responded.

“That's what I thought! But it's not. I can show you. I have gathered tons of data-”

“Does Gabe know this?,” Jesse cut her off.

“The Council thing? Yes. The info I found? No. I haven't spoken to him since the incident yesterday.”

Hanzo took hold of one of Sombra's hands. “May I?”

She hesitated for a moment before nodding and answering with a ‘yes’. Jesse cursed to himself. He knew what Hanzo was doing. It was the same shit he wanted to do to him. As much as he didn’t like it, it had to be done. It was the best way to make sure she wasn’t playing them and was being honest. He watched as Hanzo closed his eyes, the tattoo on his arm beginning to faintly glow. Sombra remained motionless. After about a minute or two, Hanzo let go.

“She's telling the truth,” he then said, turning to him.

“I don't care. She needs to go back,” Jesse retorted.

“She has valuable information.”

“Don't care. It is too dangerous for her to leave Gabe like this.”

“Jess, it is fine,” Sombra stated.

He looked at her. This was crazy. “It is _not_ fine!!,” he shouted, grabbing his backpack that she had dropped. “I will _not_ have you get caught up in this shit!” He began walking to the front door.

“I'm already involved!,” she yelled back.

“Then get un-involved!!”

   

       Hanzo smiled down at Sombra. “It is okay. I will handle him. Come, we have things to discuss, do we not?”

“Y-yes,” she responded, still a bit nervous in his presence.

He picked up the Walmart bags and made his way to the door with her following behind him. Jesse was blocking the door, arms crossed against his chest.

“Jesse,” Hanzo sighed.

“No. I'm sorry but no. She needs to go back.”

“It's a bit late for that now. She came here to help us. We should not deny her.”

“Goddammit Hanzo! You know as well as I do what this means!” The look in his eyes suddenly changed from determination to fear.

“Jess-,” Sombra began.

“I will NOT have her killed because of _me_!” His lips were trembling as he pointed to his own chest.

A gasp came from Sombra. Hanzo put the bags down before placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a comforting smile.

“It is okay, Jesse. She won't be killed. I will not allow that happen,” he said softly.

The wolf stared at him, looking as if he was about to cry. Did this girl mean that much to him? With the way he was reacting, there was no doubt she was someone special to him.

“I will protect her,” he stated.

Jesse continued staring at him, his gaze unwavering. “This is not a wise idea,” he muttered.

“I understand your feelings on this but please consider. She has a way to obtain the information we need. Without that, we’re basically sitting ducks. We can hide, but for how long? Think about it. We can use her and her abilities. Plus,” he stepped closer to him, his hand moving down to his wrist. “She’s here because she cares about you. She would rather risk everything for you than be tied down to Gabriel. She adores you, Jesse.”

His eyes closed as he sighed. “I don’t like this. Not one bit.”

Hanzo chuckled softly before kissing his cheek. “It will be okay. I promise.”

He opened his eyes and just looked at him.

“So you two _are_ a thing,” Sombra grinned, popping her head around Hanzo’s arm.

The wolf grumbled and banged his head against the door. “This...this is what we’re gonna have to deal with.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, kissing his cheek again. “Could be worse.” He let go of him, unlocked the door and picked up the bags. Jesse finally moved out of the way and they all went inside.


	13. Chapter 13

       Jesse found his way to the living room and plopped his ass down on the couch, grabbing the brand new bottle of Jack Daniel’s out of his backpack, opening it and taking a swig. He didn’t care that it wasn’t cold. Getting drunk was the only solution to all of this shit. Just as he got comfortable, Sombra came walking in and sat down beside him.

“Lo siento,” she said on a quiet voice.

He glanced in her direction, “don’t bother apologizing now.” He didn’t want to talk to her, not yet anyway. Maybe he should get up and help Hanzo put the groceries away. Or maybe he should go drown himself in the lake. With a sigh, he leaned forwards on his knees and put his head down. From one shitty thing to another. Now he had to protect  _ two _ people instead of just one. 

“I know you don’t want to hear it, but this is much bigger than we thought,” Sombra started talking again.

“I really don’t care right now,” he grumbled.

“Did you know that Hanzo’s father was a member of the Council?”

Now that caught his attention. He raised his head and looked at her. “Huh?”

“Jesse,” she leaned in towards him, “his father was among those killed. Hanzo is the first born. That means he will take his seat on the Council. Well, he  _ should _ .”

He didn’t know how to respond. Hanzo had never mentioned anything about Council, or his position as next in line. And he was confused. How could the order to kill Hanzo come  _ from _ Council? Did they not want him to replace his father? Did they really think that Hanzo killed his entire family and clan? Didn't he have some kind of rights or somethin’? What about his brother? Where was he in all of this? 

“This doesn’t make any fucking sense,” he muttered before taking another hefty swig of whiskey. 

“I know. It didn’t make sense to me either when I first heard about it. That’s why I started researching.”

“I don’t know why you took it upon yourself to do so. You’re just creating more problems for yourself.”

She cursed in spanish before smacking him in the arm. “I’d be doing it for Gabe either way so stop being so fucking stubborn! I want to help  _ you _ , not him!”

“Sombra!,” his raised his voice as he stood, slamming the bottle down on the coffee table, “I don’t even know if I can protect  _ him _ , nevermind adding you to the mix. You never should have came here!”

“Well I’m here so deal with it!,” she snapped back at him, “and who says you can’t protect us? You’re stronger - and smarter - than Gabe.”

He laughed sarcastically, “no I’m not! Where the hell is your head?”

She sighed. “You’re being ridiculous. You know you could take Gabe with no problems.”

“Yeah,” he growled, “because there’s a goddamn  _ demon _ inside of me!” 

He turned to storm out of the room but walked right into Hanzo instead.  _ Great _ . How long had he been standing there? They made eye contact for a brief moment before he grumbled and went around him, making a beeline for the back door. 

 

        Jesse sat down on the steps of the back porch, leaned forwards and put his head down, his hands grabbing his hair. He tried to calm down. The demon was stirring and if he didn't watch it, he was going to come out and cause even more problems. He sat there, knowing it was only a matter of time before Hanzo came to him. He needed to sort through his emotions. Anger, frustration, sadness and fear filled him. For the first time, he didn't know what to do. When it came to fighting vampires, no matter how powerful or sly they were, he always knew how to handle them and take them down. Granted this situation was entirely different but still...he had no clue what to do. Gabe had been his go-to and that proved to be a huge failure. He growled, digging his nails into his head. 

        He knew the instant Hanzo was there. Not a word was said as the vampire sat down beside him. He hated the fact that he had come to him but at the same time, he could feel himself growing calmer with him being there. Suddenly a hand rested on his back and began rubbing.  _ So warm and comforting _ . He took a deep breath and slowly raised his head to look at him. Concerned eyes met him, the hand stopping.

“May I?,” Hanzo asked softly, his hand now moving forward to his. 

“I don't fucking care anymore. Do what you want,” he sighed, “you can throw me into the lake and push me down into the water so that I drown, I don't care.” 

“Tch,” he clicked his tongue, “I wouldn't do that.” 

“Might be your best option.” 

“Stop that.” 

He sighed and looked towards the water. Hanzo pulled his hand towards him, covering it with his other hand. Jesse wasn't going to fight him anymore. If he wanted to venture into a hell hole then so be it. He would regret it. Warmth surrounded his hand as it began tingling.  _ Here we go _ . He closed his eyes and put his head back down. 

        Jesse sat there knowing that Hanzo was going to see everything - from his time with Gabe to going on his own to joining Jack & Nightfall. Depending how deep he went, he may even see who infected him with this godforsaken demon blood. He'd learn of his struggles with the demon. Hell, he might even meet the bastard. And of course, he'd learn of his feelings for him. At this point, Jesse didn't care. What was the worst that could happen? He rejected him? Killed him? He'd welcome death with open arms. 

       He sighed as he felt the odd pressure in his head grow heavier. How long was this going to take? How long had they been sitting there already? He opened his eyes. Everything was blurry and hazy. Where was he again? _Shit_. He was losing track of time, of reality. 

         Suddenly the pressure disappeared. Instead, Jesse began to feel like he was floating. What the hell? What was Hanzo doing? All the stress, anger and frustration seemed to disappear. And the demon was nowhere to be found...as if he didn't even exist. A strange calmness overtook him. Hell, this was so weird… He opened his eyes just as one of Hanzo's hands went to his head, slowly stroking. 

“How are you feeling?,” the vampire asked. 

He felt as light as air...as if he were to let go of Hanzo's hand, he would start drifting up to the clouds. It was the strangest feeling. Had he drank too much without realizing it? 

“Is this…your powers?,” he asked. 

There was a small chuckle from Hanzo. “There are tales and rumors that the Shimada dragons have the ability to expel and cleanse demons.” 

His eyes went wide. So…he could get rid of the demon inside of him? Why didn't he just say so... days ago?!

There was another chuckle. “I cannot completely get rid of the demon.” 

Shit. He could hear his thoughts. They must still be connected as such. “If you can do this, why didn't you do it during the full moon?” 

“I didn't want to use my powers on you, I was trying to gain your trust, remember?” 

Right. He sighed and closed his eyes, his body feeling so weightless that he began leaning forwards. 

“Hey now, you're gonna fall off the steps.” 

He was pulled back and then lifted up, arms going around him. He felt warmth underneath him. Did Hanzo just put him in his lap? 

“Jesse.” 

His voice was so soft like his touch. So comforting… He felt oddly safe in Hanzo's arms. He could stay like this forever. Opening his eyes, he looked up. God, he was so beautiful. Hanzo smiled, a small blush forming on his cheeks. A hand went to his head again.

“Jesse, you are not alone anymore,” he then said. 

His eyes went wide for a second time. Oh, right. He had been in his head and seen things that he never shared with anybody. 

“You are not alone in this fight. Whether it's with the demon or with Gabe, you will not be fighting on your own.” 

He lost his train of thought and no words came to him. He couldn't believe what Hanzo was saying. Despite doing things on his own for years and enjoying being a loner, he did fear that loneliness would eventually take him over, that he would remain by himself for the rest of his life and that it would be his downfall one day. 

“You are also not alone in your feelings,” Hanzo continued. 

Wait...what? The vampire leaned his face down to his. “I want to be with you,” he whispered before gently placing his lips on his, giving him a tender kiss. 

“H-Hanzo,” Jesse muttered as their eyes met.

“Don't be so surprised, wolf,” he chuckled, “you have your own charms, you know.” 

“But…,” he was so confused.

“But nothing.” He kissed him again.  _ Oh, hell _ . Jesse couldn't resist kissing him back and as they continued, he realized that he didn't need to hold back anymore. His feelings had been exposed and Hanzo was accepting them... accepting  _ him _ . What was supposed to have just been about fun and sex was turning into something so, so much more. 

      As the weightlessness in his body started to go away, he sat up in Hanzo's lap, an arm going around the vampire while his other hand held his face. He was no longer afraid to show how much he meant to him. Their kisses got deeper, filled with passion.

Hanzo pulled back a little so they could catch their breath. “I will make you my guardian,” he said on a low voice.

“What? Really? Right now?”

He laughed, “not right now but soon.”

_Holy shit_. He was really going to do it. Jesse thought about it as he got off his lap and sat beside him. “Are you sure?”

Hanzo held out his pack of cigarillos and lighter. “Yes.” 

He took them and lit one. Everything was slowly coming back into focus and he was beginning to feel normal again.  _ You are not alone anymore _ . He couldn't stop thinking about what Hanzo said.  _ All _ the things he said. 

“Do not worry about the situation with Sombra,” Hanzo broke the silence. 

He sighed, “I know, I know. I overreacted.”

“No, I understand your concern. You were not wrong. But this is not all on your shoulders. If anything, it should be on mine for keeping you here from the beginning.” 

Jesse looked at him. “I'm sure I could have left had I really wanted to.” 

The vampire smiled. “Perhaps.” 

He smiled himself and put an arm around Hanzo's shoulders. “You're stuck with me now.” 

They shared a quick kiss. “I am glad,” the vampire whispered.    
  


     “Uhhh, I don't mean to interrupt,” Sombra stated from behind them. They both looked at her. “But I just found something very interesting that would be of interest to both of you.” 

Jesse sighed, going back to looking at the water, dropping his arm from his shoulders and puffing on his cigarillo.  _ Back to business _ . 

“Can you give us a couple minutes? We'll be right in,” Hanzo said cheerfully. 

She nodded and headed back inside. 

“It is okay, Jesse.” 

“I know.” 

“Don't forget that I'm here.” 

He turned to him. He needed to learn to not take everything on his own. He had a partner now. Figuring this all out wasn't going to be just his job. With a smile, he put out his cigarillo and stood. “How can I forget that such a sexy, smartass vampire is right beside me?” 

Hanzo laughed, standing. “You could've left out the smartass part. I think that's more you than me.” 

“Oh really?” 

They laughed, kissing a few more times before going inside. 

 

        Jesse and Hanzo sat on the couch in the living room while Sombra was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table with her back to the TV so that she was facing them. 

“Alright, so,” she glanced up from her laptop, “where should I begin?” 

Jesse took a swig from the bottle of Jack Daniel's. Despite feeling the most calm he had in years, he still wasn't sure he was prepared for what Sombra was going to tell them. She had already mentioned that this was “bigger” than what they thought. He could only imagine what kind of bullshit Gabe was up to. 

“What was it that we would both be interested in?,” Hanzo asked.

“Ah, okay. We can start there,” she stated before going to her laptop, clicking on some things. “You have a brother, correct?”

“Yes.” 

“He's been missing for a little while, right?” 

Jesse glanced at Hanzo who seemed to tense up a little bit. “Y-yes,” he answered slowly before clearing his throat, “but that is not unheard of. He likes to take off for weeks at a time.” 

Jesse scoffed. “What does he do?” 

Hanzo sighed. “Sometimes Father sends him on errands but he mostly goes casino hopping.”

“Casino hopping?”

“He has a gambling problem. It all started with the arcades as a kid.” 

“Well, that would explain this,” Sombra said before she turned the laptop around. “This is your brother, correct?” 

Hanzo replied with a 'yes’ on another sigh. Jesse leaned forwards, studying the photo. It was a security image of a green haired man, vampire actually. Slot machines were in the background so he was at a casino but there was something oddly familiar about that face and hair…

“Have you located him?,” Hanzo asked.

“Well,” Sombra said before getting up and coming around to the other side of the coffee table. She sat down on the floor between Jesse and Hanzo, pulling the laptop up to the edge of the table and clicking on some other documents. Another photo popped up. It was a second security camera image of Hanzo's brother standing in front of someone else. 

“Who is that?,” Jesse asked. 

“Maximilien,” Hanzo answered with a curse. 

_ Maximilien _ . He had heard that name before…

“Yes. So here's where things get interesting,” Sombra continued, “it appears as though Maximilien approached your brother about something while he was at one of his casinos-”

“Wait wait wait,” Jesse cut her off, “isn't Maximilien on Council? And he owns a shit ton of casinos, right?” 

She glanced back at him, “yes and yes.” 

“Isn't Gabe buddies with him?” 

“Yeeesss. Now let me finish, I'm not there yet.”

_ Yet _ . A third photo was displayed. It seemed as though it was taken shortly after the other, but now there were two bigger men (perhaps bodyguards or security men) standing behind Hanzo's brother. Jesse studied the image. Genji looked terrified and it almost appeared as though one of the security guys was holding his arms behind his back. If only the image was brighter…

“There wasn't a lot of data, as if they had deleted some of the security footage like they were hiding something. Buuuuut,” she clicked on another folder, “I believe this is your brother.” 

The image showed a man laying on the ground in what looked like to be an alleyway behind the casino. She enlarged the photo to show further detail. It was a dark photo since it was nighttime but that green hair stood out.  _ Green hair...green hair _ …it then hit him.

“Oh my God!,” Jesse shouted as he jumped up.

Sombra couldn’t hide her chuckle as Hanzo glanced up at the wolf. “Nani?”  
  
Jesse looked down at Hanzo, pointing to the laptop screen. “I know him, I know your brother!”

“What? How?”

“He’s in New York! He’s at the Nightfall facility!” Jesse cursed and began pacing around the living room, bottle of whiskey still in his hand. “Bloody fucking hell.” His mind went back to about a week ago...

        Jack and Angela left him and Rein in charge while they jetted off to Vegas. They were called about a vampire who had been beaten so badly he was on his deathbed (which was rare for vampires so it was considered a special situation). Angela had convinced Jack to go rescue him (she wants to save everyone) so they picked him up and brought him back to the facility. Jesse remembered seeing that green hair as the stretcher rolled past him and when he would play bodyguard to the guy’s room. He didn’t know his name at the time nor had he ever spoke with him. Before he left to come here, he had checked on the mysterious vampire one last time. He was just beginning to recover. Turns out that whoever did this to him had used weapons primarily made to counter a vampire’s natural healing ability. Which was what had left him dying on the street.

          Suddenly Jesse stopped pacing, a thought coming to him. “Wait,” he looked right at Hanzo, “if Genji was at Nightfall then he didn't kill your clan either.” 

“How do you know that he was at Nightfall? Why are you giving me that look?,” Hanzo asked back. 

“Han,” he laughed because this whole thing was ridiculous and he forgot that he wasn't in his head anymore, “Jack and Angela went to Vegas to get Genji and brought him back to New York. He's recovering there. I had no idea he was your brother!” 

“Are you sure?”

Now Sombra spoke up. “I went through Nightfall's files. They don't have much information since they haven't been able to talk to him yet but look at these.” 

Hanzo leaned forwards to look at the files and photos on the screen.

“That tattoo,” Jesse whispered as he eyed the image of a very naked Genji. The tattoo was similar to Hanzo's, only green in color and a slightly different pattern on his right arm instead of the left (like Hanzo's). 

“Yes,” Hanzo sighed, “that is Genji, my brother.” 

“This whole time there was a Shimada at Nightfall and I had no clue!,” Jesse shook his head, taking another sip of whiskey. 

      Hanzo sat back, letting out another sigh. What the hell had Genji gotten himself into this time? Glancing at Jesse, the idea of alcohol sounded pretty good. Without a word, he got up and went into the kitchen, retrieving a bottle of sake. He returned to find Jesse on the couch, nursing the bottle of whiskey. 

“So we're thinking that this Maximilien guy did this to Genji?,” Jesse asked as Hanzo sat down. 

“There's no proof until we can speak with Genji but I'm fairly certain it was his doing,” Sombra stated. 

“Hmm.” 

Hanzo tipped the bottle back, the alcohol burning his throat slightly. He was so ready to take off to New York to retrieve his brother, who probably had no knowledge of what happened to their family and clan. Jesse was right, though. If he was in New York then he didn't commit the murders. So…who did? 

“Sombra, what information did you find on the Council? You said the order to kill me came from them?,” he asked. 

If he was right in his thinking then the order didn't so much come from Council itself but rather a particular Council member…who happened to try to kill his brother as well. Now who would want to kill the two Shimada sons so that no one could replace the second seat on Council? 

“Gabe said he got the order from Maximilien,” she answered.

Bingo. “Mmhmm,” he hummed before taking another sip. As he figured. 

“What is it Hanzo?,” Jesse asked, “what ya thinkin’?”

He looked in his direction and gave him a smile. Oh yes, this wolf was  _ definitely _ becoming his guardian now. There was no question and no doubt in it anymore. Sombra was right. This was indeed bigger than they originally thought. He poured some more alcohol into his mouth. 

“Maximilien holds the third seat on Council. My father held the second. With my father’s death the position would go to me,” he paused, “not that I want it but that is not important,” he began to say, stopping to drink some more. “The current head of Council will be stepping down and retiring soon-”

Jesse cursed, “so it should have been your father next in line, right?” 

“Mmhm.” 

There was silence as the two of them stared at each other. As realization hit him, Jesse bolted up again, his eyes going wide.

“So let me get this straight,” he took a hefty sip, “the current Head of Council is retiring, leaving that position open. Your father, who would be next in line gets murdered and both you and Genji are technically MIA which leaves the second seat open. Which would allow Maximilien to move up, taking your rightful position, ultimately taking the Head spot.” 

Hanzo didn't reply for a moment, Sombra remained quiet, turning to look at both of them.

“Yes, that all sounds about right,” he finally responded.

“So Maximilien is a power hungry piece of shit who is willing to kill a bunch of people for the highest position on the vampire food chain?” 

He watched Jesse sway a little. Haha, he was getting drunk. The wolf suddenly removed his tank top, mumbling something about it being hot in the room. Hanzo swallowed as he forced himself to look away. “Yes, that appears to be the case.”

“All this just to become the Head of Council? Is it that big of a deal for you guys?” 

Hanzo chuckled. 

“Jess, didn't Gabe teach you anything?,” Sombra asked.

“I don't give a shit about vampire politics. I just follow orders and do my job. I don't pay attention to that crap.” 

The sake was hitting him harder than he expected because he burst out laughing. It was exactly the answer he expected from Jesse. He was just that type of guy. And that's what he loved about him.  _ Shit _ . Did he just use the l-word in reference to the wolf? He stopped laughing, clearing his throat. 

“I don't care about the politics either but yes, it's a big deal among our kind,” he answered before drinking some more. 

“You guys are nuts.” 

“Jesse,” he started laughing again, “the wolves have their own version of Council, you know.” 

“Do we?” 

“Yes.” He was laughing so hard he almost dropped the damn bottle of sake.

“Huh,” he shrugged as he plopped back down onto the couch, beginning to laugh himself,  “imagine that.” 

He watched the wolf tip his bottle back, not a care in the world. Hell, he was sexy. His hair was a tousled mess, the muscles in his arms were nice and taut, and that carefree attitude made Hanzo want to forget about everything around them and make the wolf cry out his name as he brought him to ecstasy. He swallowed.  


“Well I’m glad you guys find this so hilarious,” Sombra rolled her eyes as she stood up, “but I’m exhausted. I spent all night and most of the day finding this info out. Is there some place where I can sleep?”

Hanzo looked up at her and pointed, “there’s a second bedroom down the hall.”

“Wait! There’s been a second bedroom the entire time I was here?!,” Jesse shouted.

Another burst of laughter came out of him before he was hit in the face with one of the throw pillows that were on the couch. 

“Goodnight guys,” Sombra sighed before taking her laptop and taking off down the hall. 

“Night, Som,” Jesse laughed, throwing another pillow at Hanzo. “Why didn't you tell me there was another bedroom!?” 

Hanzo threw the pillows back at him with a laugh. “It was need to know information. You didn't need to know.” 

“Huh?!” Jesse put the bottle of whiskey down on the coffee table and then went after him, pushing him down on the couch. 

Looking up at the gorgeous wolf, he couldn't stop smiling, even as he began smothering him with a pillow to the face. He never had this much fun with someone. Jesse's carefree attitude was catchy, making Hanzo loosen up and enjoy life a little bit. He put down the bottle of sake on the floor before taking hold of the pillow and tossing it aside, out of reach. While Jesse was strong, he was stronger. He grabbed him, pushing him off and onto the other side of the couch. 

“I wanted to keep you to myself,” he said as he leaned down on top of him. 

“Oh? Is that it?” Jesse was smiling, his cheeks flushed. It was an adorable sight. 

Hanzo reached and pushed some of Jesse's hair out of his face. “You keep the bed warm.” 

With a chuckle, the wolf took hold of the back of his head and kissed him. He returned the kiss which only led to more. It didn't take long for desire to take over, the need to feel Jesse's touch growing within him. 

     They continued to make out there on the couch, Jesse's hands eventually finding their way to remove Hanzo's shirt. 

“Should we take this to the bedroom?,” Hanzo whispered in between kisses. 

“Mmm, probably.” 

After another kiss, he pulled back and got off of him, standing up too fast. The alcohol hit him hard and he grabbed the arm of the couch to keep from falling over. Jesse of course had started laughing at him. 

“Need some help, vampire?”

He couldn't be angry even if he tried. He was much more drunk than he thought. Maybe he did need some assistance. That was a first. He looked over at Jesse, who was getting up. He didn't seem to have any problems. Was he not drunk? Didn't he drink more than him? 

“Come on, darlin’.” 

An arm went around his waist while Jesse made him put his arm around his shoulders. They then made their way to the bedroom. 

       Hanzo practically fell onto the bed, laughing the entire time. Yep, he was drunk off his ass. He watched as Jesse removed his shorts and then his boxers. He instantly stopped giggling like a little girl. Fucking hell. Jesse's body looked like it was cut from stone.  _ So hot _ . He wanted to run his hands along his entire body, feel all those muscles under his fingertips. 

“Like what you see darlin’?” 

Their eyes met. “Mmm,” he hummed as he attempted to sit up. He slipped and fell back, hitting his head on the headboard. Wait a second… They had been in this exact situation about a few days ago, except it was Jesse who was drunk and acting like a fool. How the tables have turned. Hanzo started giggling again. 

“You alright there, vampire? You’re kinda reminding me of myself,” Jesse asked as he got into the bed and crawled over to him. 

“Yeah,” he laughed, “it should be you in this position, not me.” 

“Someone drink a little too much?” 

Jesse was practically in his lap, a devious smile on his face. That look…oh hell. He swallowed. “Perhaps.” 

The wolf reached around his head, pulling the hair elastic out. As his hair fell to just above his shoulders, Jesse ran his fingers through it slowly. A pleasurable sigh came out of his mouth as he tipped his head back, closing his eyes. Jesse didn't know just how much he loved when he played with his hair like this. 

“What is it about you, vampire?,” Jesse whispered by his ear.

“Hmm?”

“I've never wanted someone so much, so badly as I do with you.” 

He opened his eyes to meet Jesse's stare. He smiled. “Perhaps it is fate,” he blurted, “because I feel the same way about you.” 

“Fate, huh? You believe in that shit?” 

He chuckled, reaching up to touch his face. “I didn't until I met you.” 

“Well you could be right. Perhaps we should see what fate has in store for us tonight.”

With another laugh, he pulled Jesse's face closer to his. “You're silly,” he said before planting his mouth on the wolf's. 

      Somehow in the midst of their kissing, Jesse managed to remove his pants and boxers, leaving him naked and now laying on the bed. The wolf climbed back over him, his mouth going on his while one of his hands pushed up one of his legs. 

“Can I have you?,” Jesse whispered, pulling his face back just enough so they could make eye contact. 

Hanzo smiled, “you need to ask?” He brought up his other leg, giving Jesse all the room he could need. 

“I will always ask.” He kissed his forehead. 

“There is no need. I am yours to have,” he paused, “always.” 

“H-han-”

He took hold of Jesse's face and kissed him hard. If that wasn't a declaration of his feelings for him, he didn't know what was. Jesse got the hint and wasted no time in bringing their bodies together. 

 

     Hanzo couldn't hold back the moans that escaped from his mouth, not that he wanted to but shit, he was more vocal than normal. Maybe it was because neither one of them were holding back anymore. Their feelings were exposed and it was clear that this  _ thing _ between them was more than just a ‘friends with benefits’ thing. If Hanzo didn't know any better, he was falling for Jesse just as hard and fast as the wolf was for him.  _ Fate. _ Yes, indeed. There was no other explanation for this. Hanzo dug his fingers into Jesse's back as he moved faster and went deeper. A cry of pleasure left his mouth as he threw his head back. He was close. Judging by Jesse's breathing, he was as well.  _ Don't stop _ . He wanted this moment to last forever. 

“Bite me.”

Jesse's sudden demand had him looking up at him wide eyed. 

“Please,” he begged, leaning down close.

_ Oh God _ . Being asked like this…it was almost too much for him to handle. He took hold of his head, tilting it a little to one side before he brought his mouth up to his neck. The scent of Jesse's blood was always intoxicating, making him drunk with a desire and need he never knew of before. And that was just the smell. Nevermind the taste. 

       He couldn't delay it any longer. He bit down, moaning as those first drops of blood touched his tongue. Jesse's reaction to when he broke his skin always made it so much better, too. Hearing him cry out like that, knowing he enjoyed this sort of intimacy between them…it was nearly enough to get him off every time. And it certainly didn't fail this time around. As his blood flowed into his mouth and down his throat, filling him with his life force, ecstasy took him over. He gripped him tightly, moaning against his neck while his body trembled under Jesse's.  _ Heaven _ . This had to be what heaven was like. No question. 

Not long after, he felt Jesse’s body start to tremble and Hanzo held onto him tightly, kissing his shoulder after closing the bite marks. Closing his eyes, he breathed in deep. He couldn't remember the last time he was this content. Being with Jesse was changing everything. The wolf was giving him a reason to keep running, to keep going and not let anyone take him down. He felt Jesse pull out and start to get up. With a sudden feeling of panic, he pulled him back down, holding him tighter. 

“Don't go,” the words slipped out of his mouth, just like that first day. 

“I'm right here, darlin’,” Jesse said softly, kissing his forehead. 

“Gomen,” he sighed. Sooner or later, the wolf was going to learn of his fear. An ironic fear nonetheless. 

The was a small chuckle. “You don't hafta apologize.” Jesse moved his face above his, their eyes meeting. “I ain't goin’ anywhere.” 

No he wasn't, was he? He had already declared his loyalty to him even without the guardian contract being made. Hanzo smiled, moving his hand to Jesse's face, gently caressing his cheek and bringing his lips to meet his. They shared a few kisses before the wolf laid beside him, their bodies up against each other. Jesse kissed his shoulder, putting an arm around him. 

“Sleep well, vampire.” 

Oh, he will. He whispered a ‘goodnight’ before sleep took him. 


	14. Chapter 14

       Jesse opened his eyes and looked around. Shit, was he in wolf form? He looked at his hands...er...paws. Yep. Sure enough, he had shifted in his sleep. Was he that comfortable with Hanzo now? He chuckled to himself as he looked over at the vampire. He was out like a light, sleeping like a baby with a content look on his face. Ever since Hanzo used his powers on him to breach his mind, things seemed to be…different. But different in a good way. _You are not alone in your feelings_. Did that mean Hanzo was falling for him too? It sure felt like it after last night's activities. With a smile, he hopped off the bed.  

      He decided to take a stroll outside around the cabin. Despite the contract not being made yet, he still felt as though he should do his job and well, _guard_ .  Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and there was no sign of any suspicious activity. No scents of vampires either. _Thank God_. He expected Gabe to send someone to find them. Unless he hadn't learned of Sombra's disappearance yet. If Jack was still at the house, Gabe's attention was probably set on him. But it was only a matter of time before he realized Sombra was gone. And then all hell would break loose. He did another lap around the cabin before going back inside.

       Staying in wolf form, he made his way to the room Sombra was in. The door was slightly ajar so he let himself in. She was asleep on the bed, her laptop and tablet on the floor, charging. The laptop was open and he took a glance at it. Files and photos about the vampire Council were on the screen. She was really getting into this, wasn't she? He huffed and then gently hopped up onto the bed. He curled up beside her and closed his eyes. It had been a long time since he done this. Before he left Gabe's, he would spend a lot of days laying in Sombra's bed, watching over her while she slept. Gabe had never wanted him in his bed and Jesse sure as hell didn't want to be in his bed either after knowing the gross and disgusting things he did in it. So he would take up residence in Sombra's. He also did it as a comfort thing for her since she had been so scared in the beginning. It just kinda stuck throughout the years. He began to doze off while remembering all those times they laid like this.

 

       Hanzo awoke and noticed immediately that Jesse wasn't in the bed with him. Panic hit for a moment before he took a deep breath. Jesse wasn't going to leave him. He had to remind himself off that. With a sigh, he got up and grabbed one of his black silk robes, throwing it on while walking out of the bedroom. Jesse's scent was in the air so he couldn't have gone far. He followed the trail, leading him to the room where Sombra was sleeping. Hanzo paused as he stood in the doorway, a smile creeping up on his face as he took in the sight before him. Jesse was in wolf form all curled up beside Sombra, who had an arm draped over him. It was…adorable. Hanzo had seen Jesse's memories that involved Sombra and now understood why he was so worried about her. Jesse was like the older brother protecting his younger sister.  The bond between the two of them was not something Hanzo was going to get in between. With a nod he left and made his way to the kitchen. Might as well get started on dinner or breakfast, whatever you wanted to call it. Dusk was approaching so they would wake soon and he knew without a doubt that Jesse would be hungry.

 

 

       “Jesse.”

He heard his name but he didn't want to open his eyes or move. He was so comfortable. Whoever was calling his name in a soft tone was also rubbing his head and he didn't want them to stop.

“Jess, come on, we've gotta get up.”

The only person who called him that was Sombra. Right…he had climbed into her bed. He groaned, slowly opening his eyes. She was watching him with a smile on her face.

“It's been a while since we've done this, huh?”

She rubbed behind his ears. Ah yes, that's the spot. He tilted his head back and she started giggling.

“I take it you're not mad at me anymore?”

He huffed.

“Contrary to your beliefs, I know what I'm doing. I know what the repercussions are but I couldn't stay there. I've known that Gabe has been up to something for awhile now. I don't want to be a part of it.”

He huffed again and put his head back down, looking away from her. She didn't stop petting him.

“I don't want my powers and skills to be used for bad things, Jess. I don't want to be a bad guy.”

That made him look at her again as he sat up. He shifted into his human form.

“You're not a bad guy,” he stated.

“Not yet. If I stayed with Gabe, though…”

He sighed and got off the bed, taking the top sheet with him and wrapping it around his waist.

“I had a feeling this would eventually happen.”

He ran a hand through his hair and breathed in deep. _What was that smell?_ Was Hanzo awake and cooking something? It smelled freakin’ delicious. His stomach began grumbling.

“Jess-”

He glanced at Sombra. “The dark side has been calling to Gabe for a long time. He's an Anakin in disguise.”

“Oooo, a Star Wars reference!”

“Shhh, don't give out the secret!”

Sombra laughed. “I don't think Hanzo would really care that you're secretly a Star Wars nerd. He probably doesn't even know what it is.”

He glared at her. “Don't underestimate him.”

Another laugh and she hopped off the bed, picking up her laptop. “You two are really cute together, by the way.”

He felt his cheeks get hot. “We're not,” he paused for a second, “together.”

“Could've fooled me.”

He groaned and started for the doorway. “I need to find some clothes.”

Before Sombra could say anything else, he booked it to the bedroom to get a pair of shorts.

 

   

          Jack glanced at the sleeping Gabe beside him. _Oh, hell_. What did he do this time? No matter how much he resisted Gabe, he always gave in and the vampire always got what he wanted - _him_. Not that he could complain much since the sex was good but he hated letting Gabe have his way all the time. _Goddamn vampires_. He rubbed his face before quietly getting out of the bed. He took a leak and then threw on his boxers and jeans before he took the hidden hallway that led to Gabe’s office.

          He needed to take a second look at the case file on Hanzo and the documents that Gabe showed him earlier. Something wasn’t adding up. Particularly the whole thing about the order to kill Hanzo coming from Council. He knew Gabe was not an innocent man and that he had blood on his hands so he would definitely not be surprised if he was lying to him. While he wouldn’t be shocked, he would be hurt a little bit. Feelings set aside, he sat down at Gabe’s desk and started going through the documents.

 

         Once shorts had been acquired, Jesse headed for the kitchen to see what Hanzo was up to. The delicious smell got stronger as he got closer. He found Hanzo standing in front of the stove, wearing a black robe with his hair tied back in a loose, low ponytail. Hell, he was sexy as shit even from behind. His body moved without him telling it to, walking up to the vampire, sliding his hands onto his waist and dipping his head into the crook of his neck and shoulder.

“Mmm, whatcha doin’?,” he whispered before kissing his neck.

“I should ask you the same thing,” Hanzo chuckled, turning his face to him.

“Sorry, I couldn't help myself.”

With a smile, Hanzo gave him a quick kiss before turning back to the stove. Jesse moved to his side, letting go of his waist.

“That's not curry.”

“Don't sound so disappointed.” He lifted up the ladle and blew on the liquid that was in it to cool it off. He then brought it up to Jesse's lips. “It's hot,” he warned.

Jesse opened his mouth and let the liquid enter, slightly burning his tongue but it didn't matter. His eyes went wide as Hanzo pulled the ladle back. “So good! What is that?”

He went back to stirring. “While I really like curry, this is my favorite meal. My mother taught me how to make it.”

“I'll be honest, I never pegged you as a cook.”

Hanzo chuckled. “Did you sleep well?”

“Mmm, yes. Sorry for leaving you.”

“Don't be. I'm a big boy.”

“Indeed you are,” he grabbed an ass cheek and squeezed.

“I take it back,” Sombra suddenly interrupted, “you two aren't cute, you're gross.”

Jesse immediately let go of his butt and glanced back. “Well that's what you get for sneaking up on us.”

Hanzo was laughing, a slight blush in his cheeks while Jesse's entire face was hot. Sombra giggled, knowing how embarrassed he was.

“You two go sit in the living room. This is almost ready. I'll bring it out to you,” Hanzo stated.

As Sombra left, Jesse eyed the counter. Three bowls were laid out, waiting. “That's a lot to carry,” he mentioned.

“I can handle it. Go sit.”

He huffed and then left. Sombra was back on the floor in front of the coffee table, laptop open.

“Any new information?,” Jesse asked.

“Actually, yes,” she answered, “but I'll wait until Hanzo is here.”

He watched as she zoomed through files, breaking codes and shit. He had no idea what she was doing. But if it got them the information they needed to figure out a game plan then he had no complaints. A thought came to mind, though.

“You hacked into Nightfall's files, didn't you?,” he asked as he sat back.

“I did.”

“Is there a file on me in there?”

“There is.”

“Have you-”

“I have not gone through it. Not yet, anyway. Why? Do you want me to?”

“Umm,” he thought about it, “maybe?”

She chuckled. “Moira has a file on you, too. I haven't looked at that one either.”

“Hmm.”

She looked up at him. “You want to see if there's info about the demon blood, don't you?”

Sombra wasn't dumb. “I do and I don't.”

“You think Gabe did it?”

He sighed heavily, “I'm not sure.”

        Hanzo interrupted the conversation as he walked in carrying a tray with the three bowls in it. He put it down on the coffee table and then pulled out two TV trays. Damn, he had everything covered. After setting up the trays, he passed out the bowls.

“Traditional ramen,” he mentioned, “I hope you enjoy.”

“Ramen?,” Jesse asked, leaning his face down to take a closer look.

“Jess, it's _real_ ramen,” Sombra said before digging in.

“Real ramen? So the things in those packages and cups aren't real ramen?”

Sombra nearly choked as she burst out laughing.

“I thought you said you've been to Japan?,” Hanzo asked as he sat down.

“I have,” he answered, picking up the fork.

“This is one of the most popular dishes there.”

He looked at Hanzo and then Sombra. Both of them had chopsticks. Ha. Hanzo remembered that he can't use the damn things. How considerate. He shrugged. “I wasn't there for long. And I mostly ate street food.”

“Well hopefully you like this better than those overly salted _cups_ of noodles they call ramen.”

         While they ate, Sombra explained some more information she had found. Jesse was having a hard time concentrating. This ramen was so, so good. He had his bowl finished within minutes.

“That was better than the curry,” he blurted.

Hanzo chuckled, “arigato.”

“Jesse, have you been listening to anything I've said?,” Sombra asked.

“No, not really.”  

She sighed but proceeded to give him a quick rundown. New casino being built in Hanamura near the Shimada castle, Gabe working with Maximilien, and his ‘side business' - a company called Talon Industries that was supposedly a manufacturer of weapons.

“Wait wait wait,” Jesse looked at Hanzo and Sombra, “let me get this straight.” He set the TV table aside, got up and began pacing, a hand running through his hair.

“Does he do this a lot?,” Hanzo whispered.

Sombra giggled, “yes. It’s when you know he’s thinking real hard.”

“Huh.”

“I can hear you, you know,” Jesse glared at them as he came to a halt. “Stop me if I’m wrong.” After a brief pause, he tried to wrap his head around everything. “The vampire Council has six seats. Hanzo’s father, Sojiro held the second seat. This Max guy holds the third seat. As far as Council goes, if something were to happen to the Head member, the first seat, the position would fall to the one holding the second seat and so forth?”

“Correct,” Hanzo answered.  
  
“There were rumors that the current Head was going to step down and retire?”

“Correct.”

“So the position would go to Sojiro.”

“Yes.”

“So no one would replace the first seat from the family?”

With a heavy sigh, Hanzo explained, “based on what my father stated, no one in the Head’s family wants the position. His family is not very large and he lost most of them in previous wars. So the rules were adjusted for just his situation.”

“That’s kind of,” he paused, “meh, whatever. Anyway, so if that guy steps down, Sojiro would become the new Head.”

“He would have, yes.”

This whole thing was so twisted and messed up. He started pacing again. “So Genji your brother, has been missing for like a week or two. Based on the photos found, he went casino hopping and ended up at one of Maximilien’s. It looks like he was threatened with something and I’m guessing he didn’t comply so he ended up on his deathbed.”

Hanzo didn’t say anything this time around, just watched as Jesse continued putting dents into the living room carpet. Sombra also remained silent. She knew how this all went down, knowing how he worked.

“There is no proof but I bet Max threatened Genji with something about the clan, perhaps killing your father and when he didn’t go through with it, he had him taken out and sent someone else to kill everyone in your clan. He thinks Genji is dead. With Hanzo not at the scene of the crime, he puts in an order to have Hanzo captured or killed, while trying to pass it off like he was the one to murder his own family.”

“But the order to kill Hanzo was dated two days before the actual incident,” Sombra finally piped in.

“There is a time difference,” Hanzo stated.

“Japan is about fifteen hours ahead of us right now-”

Jesse stopped. “I got that case file hours before it was even reported on the news. Which meant Jack had it for a least a day prior, unless…” his voice trailed off, “unless he’s been communicating with Gabe more often than I thought.”

“That I cannot confirm,” Sombra sighed.

“Either way, it’s dated at least a day before his family was killed. We know Hanzo didn’t do it because he was here, and Genji was in New York recovering. If Max was indeed trying to climb the ranks, what better way than to kill Sojiro and make it look like the son did it?”

“The son who would rightfully take the second seat, therefore taking the Head seat,” Sombra added.

“With a warrant out for Hanzo’s arrest, it secures Max the second seat, especially with him thinking that Genji is dead.”

“What about the Talon Industries thing?,” Hanzo asked.

“I will need to do some more digging on that,” Sombra replied.

“No, that’s not a priority right now,” Jesse stared at them, “as soon as Gabe realizes that Sombra is gone, he will be coming. He won’t stop until he finds us. We need to come up with a plan for when this cabin gets found.”

           It grew silent. Just what in the hell were they going to do? They couldn’t run to New York, especially with not knowing where Jack stood. They would need to take him out of the equation altogether. And as much as Jesse would love to have a word with Genji, going back to the facility was _way_ too risky.

“He will probably send Akande first,” Sombra suddenly said, breaking up his thoughts.

“Right,” Jesse nodded, “his scent of smell is exquisite.”

“I kinda ran around in circles on my way here if that helps.”  
  
“It does but it’ll only delay him a little bit.”

“What if we run?,” Hanzo found his way into the conversation.

“Run?”

The vampire stood and walked up to him. “We cannot stay here. He will find us and we’ll be cornered. Even with our abilities and powers, if he brings an army-”

“Sitting ducks,” Jesse said softly, remembering what he had mentioned earlier.

“We still don’t have a lot of information. All that we know is that Maximilien is quite powerful and determined to get what he wants. Gabriel is working with him and if this weapon business is as shady as it seems, we could all be in grave danger.”

Hanzo was right. But what were they going to do? Where were they going to run to?

“I have an acquaintance in Seoul. We can go there,” Hanzo then said.

“Seoul? As in South Korea?,” Jesse asked.

“Yes.”

He gave him a slightly annoyed look. “How the hell are we gonna get there?”

“We fly,” Sombra flatly said, her face all up in her laptop, “I can make fake passports. It’s the easiest and quickest way to get there.”

“See?,” Hanzo whispered, “useful.”

Jesse sighed. He didn’t like the idea with all the security around the airport but he was right.  “Fine. How long until you get those passports made?”

“I can have them done by tomorrow. I’ll start on them now and I’ll get the flights booked for tomorrow evening,” Sombra replied.

“Alright.” Another heavy sigh. “If that’s what you guys think we should do then let’s get it done.”

“Jess,” she was clearly shocked.

Hanzo smiled as he placed a hand on his shoulder “I think it’s a wise decision. We’ll be safer there.”

“Hope you’re right, vampire.”


	15. Chapter 15

       “Glasses? Really?”

Gabe’s sarcastic voice made him sigh as he took the glasses off his face and rubbed the bridge of his nose.  “They’re reading glasses, jackass,” Jack replied as Gabe put a mug of fresh coffee down on the desk.  
  
The vampire kissed the top of his head before going over to his liquor cabinet. “You’re not old enough for glasses.”

“I have superhuman strength, not superhuman eyesight.” He took a sip of the coffee. _Mmm_ . “Plus I’m plenty old enough.”

He tensed for a moment as he felt fingertips on his neck.

“I could change that for you,” Gabe whispered by his ear.

Jack rolled his eyes and shoved him away, “we both know that turning a human is not as easy as they make it out to be in the movies.”

“Are you saying you would let me try?!”

There was _way_ too much excitement in his voice for that. “Fuck no,” he said with a chuckle, “I already told you, it’s never happening. You will have to watch me grow old and decrepit and then die.”

“But Jackie,” he was pouting as he leaned into him.

“No,” he pressed his hand gently against his chest, “we’ve already had this conversation. I’ve lived long enough as it is. I don’t want to live this life forever.”

“Fine,” he sighed and backed off, pouring himself a glass of scotch, “what you doing anyway?”

Jack turned back towards the desk, drinking more of the coffee. “Looking at the files you showed me.”

“What for?”

“Something,” he paused, lifting up the file on Hanzo Shimada, “seems off.”

    Gabe walked around the desk and sat down in the chair in front of it. Jack was surprised at first that he didn’t make him move but then he remembered how Gabe gave him special treatment. He didn’t know why Gabe liked him so much. This had been going on for years. With another sip, he examined the case file on Hanzo.

“So you work with this Maximilien guy?,” he asked.

“Yes, I’ve known him for a long time. He’s actually the guy who took my place on Council since I didn’t want it.”

“I see.”

“What? Are you mad that I never mentioned him before?”

He glared at him. “Why would I be mad?”

Gabe shrugged, “I dunno.”

If he thought he was jealous, Gabe had another thing coming. Suddenly the date on the file popped out at him. Why hadn’t he noticed that before? He looked at it a little closer.

“This was dated two days prior to the incident in Hanamura. I wonder if it’s a typo…”

“Does a date really matter?”

He looked at him, “well yeah, it does in this case. When did you get this request? Was it before the murders even happened?”

Gabe glanced away from him, his fingers tapping his glass. Something he did when we got nervous…

“Gabe.”

“Alright, fine,” he stood up, slamming his hand down on the file on the desk, “yes, I got it before the incident but it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we find him and take him out, and rescue Jesse while we’re at it.”

Jack furrowed his brows before sitting back in the chair, sipping his coffee. Gabe was definitely hiding something but he wasn’t going to push him. Not yet, anyway.  
  
“Speaking of Jesse,” he put the mug down, “what was that shit you pulled out in the woods? He’s going to figure it out, Gabe.”  
  
“Figure _what_ out?,” he snapped, finishing the scotch in his glass.

“Well, he’s going to figure out that we stay in touch almost on a daily basis.”  
  
“So what?”

“So what?! He thinks that I barely talk to you.”  
  
“Tch. Not a big deal.”

“No, it’s not but with you being so goddamn possessive, he’s going to put two and two together.”

Gabe put the glass down and leaned his hands on the desk. “Have you told him?”

Jack raised an eyebrow, “if I had, do you really think he would have even come here?” There was no response. Jack sighed. “What are you going to do?”

“About what?,” Gabe pushed off the desk and started pacing.

Why was he beating around the bush?! God, he pissed him off sometimes. “What are you going to do when Jesse finds out it was _you_ that infected him?!,” he yelled, standing up.

The air in the room changed, making it feel like he was starting to suffocate. Gabe turned to him with red eyes. “And what are _you_ going to do when he finds out that you’ve known all along and haven’t said anything?!”

He gasped.

“Yeah Jackie, you’re just as guilty. So when you figure out the answer to that question, let me know.” He slammed his finger down on a button on the phone. “Sombra!”

“An intercom system, really?,” Jack said with a small laugh. An evil glare came his way.

When she didn’t respond, he called for her again. No response. “Akande!”

_“Yes sir?”_

“Go find Sombra!”

_“Yes sir!”_

Jack moved away from the desk allowing Gabe to take up seat in his chair.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Gabe then said, his voice much softer than before.

“Gabe, if this Hanzo guy is as powerful as he seems, he could get into Jesse’s head and find out what happened.”

“I know. Trust me, I know,” he lit a cigarette and poured another glass, “that’s why we need to find Jesse and get him the hell away from that vampire.”

There was a knock and Gabe opened the door with his powers. Akande came running in.

“I can’t find her. She’s not in her room and her laptop is gone,” he advised.

Gabe froze. “WHAT?!”

 

        Jesse went outside to smoke while Sombra went to work on creating fake IDs and Hanzo cleaned up from dinner. _What if we run?_ He took a sip from the glass of whiskey he had brought with him. Running had never been in the plan. Hanzo had never intended on running. Not until he showed up...and then Sombra. They compromised his safe house. He sighed, feeling like an asshole. This was all his fault. Had he not stormed off from Gabe’s house and went for a “walk” in the woods, none of them would be here. He ran a hand through his hair as he puffed on his cigarillo and glanced up. There wasn’t a cloud in sight and with being so far out in the middle of nowhere, he could see all the stars that glittered the night sky.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?,” Hanzo said softly, joining him on the steps.

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice out here,” he replied with a heavy sigh, “I’m sorry we’re making you leave it.”

“Jesse-”

He finished what was in his glass and stood to head back inside. Hanzo grabbed his arm, stopping him. “This house was never a long term solution.”

He turned to him. “It may not have been, but you weren’t intending on leaving so soon.”

Hanzo smiled, “it was my suggestion to run. Stop putting the guilt on yourself.”

“We have to run because of me and Sombra,” he swung his arm out of his grasp, “none of this would have happened had we not crossed paths in the woods!”

“You are right, but,” Hanzo stood in front of him, wrapping an arm around him, “fate brought us together for a reason.”

“Pfft. You and this fate shit.”

“Jesse, you were sent to kill me. We would’ve crossed paths at one point or another.”

Hanzo was right and he hated it. He stared at him, trying to think of something to say. Nothing was coming to him. With a small chuckle, Hanzo kissed him.

“Everything will be okay,” he whispered, “now how about we seal the deal and make the contract?”

Jesse’s eyes went wide.  
  
        “There you guys are!,” Sombra shouted as the front door swung open, “oh sorry, was I interrupting something again?”

Hanzo laughed, “it is alright. What’s up?”

“I just need to get photos and then the IDs printed and we’re set. Flights are booked. Everything is in order.”

“Almost everything,” Hanzo said as he looked back at Jesse, “you may stay Sombra.”

“Uhhh, do I want to? What are you guys doing?”

Hanzo led him down the steps onto the grass.

“Are you sure about this?,” Jesse asked, ignoring Sombra.

“You’re nervous now?,” Hanzo asked in response.  
  
“N-no.”

“Nervous about what?,” Sombra asked.

Hanzo took hold of Jesse’s right arm, flipping it to show the inside of his wrist while he brought his own right arm up to his mouth.

“Oh shit!”

The two of them ignored Sombra’s commentary and stared at each other.

“What if it wakes the demon?,” Jesse asked on a whisper.

“I will contain him,” Hanzo replied, “do not worry.”

“If he does, just make sure she doesn’t get hurt.”

Hanzo smiled and nodded. “You ready?”  
  
“I cannot answer that right now.”

“If you wish to not go through with this then step back.”

Jesse stared into his blue eyes. This was his last chance to back out. But he couldn’t move nor would he if he was able. He watched as Hanzo bit down on his own wrist, breaking the skin, droplets of blood coming to the surface. _Here we go_ .  
“If you promise to protect me with your life and remain by my side until this contract is broken, take my blood,” Hanzo stated, moving his bleeding wrist towards him.

Jesse reached up and took hold of his arm. “I promise.”

       With a nod, Hanzo bit down on his wrist as Jesse wrapped his mouth around his, taking his blood. As the blood entered his body, he could feel Hanzo’s power. Such great power...it was like fire running through his veins. So hot, so bright...it was becoming too much to handle. The last thing he remembered happening was him gasping and falling back, Hanzo catching him. And then he fell into some other dimension.

       He was surrounded by the wolf, the demon, and...a goddamn dragon. The dragon was giant compared to the other two. With the demon hissing, Jesse knew what was going to happen… Sure enough, the demon lunged towards the dragon while the wolf remained at his side. A cry left Jesse's mouth, his back arched, pushing his chest out. Hanzo held onto him tightly.

“What's…what's going on?,” Sombra asked, coming down the steps.

Hanzo glanced at her. “Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.”

Looking back at Jesse, he could see and feel the pain that was happening inside of him. As he started growling, Hanzo grew even more worried. Then his body started shifting into the demon-wolf. _Shit_. But then the shift faded. Another cry and he realized that Jesse must be fighting it. He gently laid him down on the grass but remained hovering over him.

       The demon kept trying to attack the dragon, not liking his presence whatsoever. But each time he tried to go up against him, the dragon would take him down. There was a slight difference in power between the two creatures. The demon hated it. Jesse stood there, watching in awe as the dragon subdued the demon each time he attacked. Then suddenly the dragon spread its wings and roared, an announcement of dominance. The demon stepped back, shying away from the dragon. _Ho-ly shit_. The dragon sat back on its hind legs and looked at the wolf, who had remained quiet and obedient. A single bark came from him, acknowledging that the dragon was now the alpha. Then the dragon turned to the demon. After a moment of hesitation, the demon lowered himself to a knee and he bowed.

       Jesse gasped, his eyes popping open. Hanzo's blue eyes stared back at him. He reached up and grabbed a hold of his arms, still in shock with what just happened. No, there was no question that this vampire was indeed more powerful than Gabe.

“Jesse,” Hanzo whispered, his voice full of concern.

“Your dragon…,” he remembered what Hanzo had told him earlier about the Shimada dragons having the ability to cleanse and expel demons.

“Are you okay?”

He studied the look on his face. He had no idea what happened up here on the surface but by the way Hanzo was acting, _something_ must've scared him.

“Yeah,” he answered, “yeah, I'm okay.”

“You had me worried.”

“I see that.” He let go of his arms and moved a hand to his face. That's when he realized he could feel Hanzo's fear. Oh yeah, he had gained some of his powers. And a dragon. He smiled, beginning to sit up. “I'm fine darlin’.”

“Are you sure?”

He moved his hand to the back of his head and leaned forwards into him. A burning and stinging sensation on his chest had him glancing down. The mark of their contract was being made. They both watched as two dragons formed in a circle appeared on his skin. A small gasp came from Hanzo and Jesse met his eyes.

“That's,” Hanzo paused, “that's the symbol of my clan.”

Jesse smiled. “It's nice, darlin’.”

With a small chuckle, Hanzo leaned his forehead against his. “You always know what to say.”

“I'm just bein’ honest. I like it.”

“It does look good on you.”

They shared a small laugh before kissing. One kiss led to another, of course. Jesse could feel Hanzo's fear fading and being replaced by something else. Was that...? No, no way. He pulled back a little so he could look him in the eye.

“Thank you,” he softly said.

“For what?”

“For this.”

“I don't think…,” Hanzo suddenly stopped, his eyes going wide. It seemed he had forgotten for a moment what happened from them making the contract. A blush formed on his cheeks as he moved his eyes away.

Jesse chuckled before kissing him. “Guess we have nothing to hide anymore,” he whispered.

Hanzo returned the kiss. “Guess not.”

They continued to kiss, their bond now stronger and bigger.

      

      “Ahem.”

They stopped and glanced towards Sombra's direction.

“Gomen,” Hanzo said with a laugh.

“I'm gonna head back inside and see what I can find on this Talon Industries.”

“Okay, Som. Thanks for being here,” Jesse said.

She smiled, “don't stay out too late with your boyfriend.”  She started for the door.

“H-hey!”

She shook her head, laughing before going inside. Jesse then looked at Hanzo.

“Boyfriend, eh?,” he asked.

Hanzo smiled. “Something like that.”

They laughed, kissing again. _Boyfriend_. Seemed like such a childish word but it still made Jesse's heart sing.


	16. Chapter 16

        Gabe was fuming. Jack made sure to stay out of his way. He should actually probably leave. He had no desire to get mixed up in all of this. Had he known the circumstance prior, he never would've came. But Gabe being Gabe, he didn't tell him much other than ‘Jesse is missing’. As much as he wanted to leave, he knew he couldn't just yet. Gabe needed him...he couldn't abandon him. So he stood off to the side, leaning against the wall while Amelie, Moira and Akande stood in front of his desk with him yelling at them, even though it wasn't necessarily their fault.

       Suddenly his cell started ringing. Gabe glared at him. “Sorry, excuse me,” he quickly left the office, answering the call in the hallway.

 _“Jack_.”

“We're in a bit of a crisis. What's up Angela?”

_“I found out some interesting information. Are you coming back soon?”_

“Uhhh, no, not exactly.”

_“Jack, what the hell is going on?! You said you were going to New Hampshire to help Gabe with something and you'd be back in a day or so!”_

He sighed. “Jesse has gone missing, that's why Gabe called me out here. But we found him. He's with the Shimada guy.”

_“What?! He's supposed to take him out!”_

“Yeeeaahh, that didn't happen. He took off with him. We have no idea where they went.”

_“What?! What do you mean he took off with him?”_

“He left Gabe's and now he's with Hanzo. It appears that I won't returning anytime soon. Shit has gone from bad to worse.”

She cursed. “ _Well, I will make it even worse for you. That vampire we rescued from Vegas_ ,” she paused briefly, _“his name is Genji. Genji Shimada. He's Hanzo's brother.”_

“What?! How…how is that possible?!”

_“He hasn't said much but once he gave me his name, I did some research. Jack, something's going on. It would be in our best interest to NOT tell Gabe of this for right now.”_

Jack looked at the doors to the office. So Hanzo had a brother…he started thinking back to the conversation out in the woods with Jesse. Had he been telling the truth? Or had Hanzo done that to his brother and then killed the rest of his family? Fuck! He didn't have all the details and Gabe was holding out on him.

“You're right. I won't mention this to him. Keep Genji's identity to yourself for the time being.”

_“What about Jesse?”_

“I'll… I'll figure something out.”

_“Be careful, Jack.”_

He disconnected the call and went back into the office just as everyone was leaving. He walked up to the desk where Gabe now sat, lighting a cigarette and drinking more scotch.

“Akande and Amelie be heading out to do a search. They can follow Sombra's scent,” he advised.

Jack sat down in the chair in front of the desk and nodded in understanding.

“Who was that?,” Gabe asked.

“Just Angela, checking in on me.”

“Hmm, I see. How is she doing?”

“She's fine.”

“Still trying to find a cure for Jesse?”

“Of course.”

“There isn't one, you know. I already had Moira look into it.”

Jack sat back and rolled his eyes, “she's the one who came up with the formula originally. I'm sure she could develop an antidote if she tried hard enough.”

“Easier said than done-”

“Shut up Gabe. You're such a fucking liar. You don't want Jesse to be cured, you want to continue using him to satisfy your needs.”

Gabe chuckled, “you know me too well, Jackie.” He leaned forwards on the desk. “He does make quite the powerful weapon, does he not?”

“Yeah, some weapon,” he sighed, “you almost got me killed that day.”

Another chuckle and a shrug of the shoulders. “I knew you could handle him.”

He sighed. “This isn't fair to him. You've been keeping tabs on him since the day he left this place. You set it all up for me to take him in that day we captured Rein-”

“It was a glorious plan if I say so myself. Jesse has no idea that we knew each other long before he introduced us.”

“You're kind of an asshole, Gabe.”

He burst into laughter. “You think I don't know that already?” He then disappeared, materializing right behind the chair Jack was sitting in, his face going into the crook of his neck. “I may be an asshole but you keep coming back to me,” he whispered.

“It's not my fault that you keep needing me,” he grabbed the back of his head, about to shove him back.

“Mmm, I do need you.” He ran his tongue along his skin. “I need you to tell me what your phone conversation with Angela was about.”

Before he could push him away, Gabe dug his fangs into his neck, lifting him up out of the chair at the same time. His body was pressed up against his, his arms bound to his chest. _Shit_. There wasn’t much he could do in this position. Not that it mattered because within seconds, sexual desire overcame him and he gave in, leaning his head back against Gabe.

“Mmm,” the vampire hummed before sucking harder.

A moan left his mouth. _Fucking hell_ . Gabe _always_ pulled this shit…

“Let's go to the bedroom, shall we?”

The bite marks were closed and then he was picked up and carried to his bedroom. Damn him...damn him to hell.

 

 

        Jesse felt like he was swimming in Hanzo's head, these new powers overwhelming him a bit. All of Hanzo's thoughts and emotions were flowing into him, allowing him to view the vampire in a whole new light. He pulled back, resting his head down on the grass and just stared up at Hanzo.

“You okay?,” the vampire asked.

That was a loaded question, to be honest. He wasn't entirely sure if he was ‘okay’. The ability to breach someone's mind was a little bothersome. He knew he would gain some of Hanzo's powers but he hadn't been expecting this. Nor was he expecting to find out that Hanzo was actually worried, and maybe a tiny bit scared about the next couple days.

“Just trying to get used to this,” he answered, “it's not the same as when Gabe made me his guardian.”

“Hmm…” Hanzo sat down beside him and glanced up at the sky.

“I don't regret it, you know.”

There was a small chuckle. “So you gained the ability to read minds, I see.”

He sat up, “yeah, and a dragon.”

Hanzo looked at him, “really?”

He nodded. “Demon didn't like him much at first.”

“So that's why you were starting to shift.”

Shit. He had started to shift into the demon-wolf? That could have been very, very messy. He glanced down at his chest, his fingers coming up to touch the new mark. “The stories of the Shimada dragons cleansing demons may be right. I don't even feel the demon right now, he's almost non-existent.”

“That is good news. Time will tell, though.”

“Yeah.”

He looked over at Hanzo. There was definitely no turning back now. Not that he wanted to, but still. His life was now bonded to Hanzo and regardless of what could happen, he was his guardian and must protect him at all costs. The thought made him laugh.

“Hmm?,” Hanzo questioned.

“Gabe is gonna be so pissed when he finds out.”

“Let him.” He stood, holding out a hand for him. “He has no choice but to let you go now.”

There was a bit of possessiveness in his tone of voice. Jesse grinned as he took the hand and pulled himself up.

“Go ahead, darlin’. Say it.”

“Say what?”

He leaned in. “I'm yours now.”

Hanzo now smiled. “Yes. You are mine.” He brought his mouth to his and whispered, “not his” before they kissed.

      After a couple more kisses, they headed inside. They needed to begin gathering their things.

“Guys!,” Sombra hollered as they walked by the living room.

They turned back around and sat down on the couch.

“So Maximilien is using Talon Industries as a front. He's making it out to be a weapon and armor manufacturing company but in reality, he's smuggling weapons to foreign companies,” she quickly said on one breath.

“What a shock,” Jesse rolled his eyes.

“Oh, it gets better. Guess who's helping him with forming alliances across the globe?”

Jesse glanced at Hanzo.

“It rhymes with…,” she paused, thinking, “labe,” she then said slowly.

“More like lame,” Jesse huffed.

She laughed, “yes indeed, especially when drugs are involved.”

“Jesus, drugs too?”

“Mmhmm.”

“This definitely is bigger than we originally thought,” Hanzo piped in, “he's probably wanting the Head council position to better his business. With that kind of power…”

“He could create an entire empire and start a war,” Jesse finished for him before sighing, “and Gabe is helping him.”

“This tops all the shady shit he has done, for sure,” Sombra stated.

No doubt. Jesse sat back and ran a hand through his hair. _What the hell, Gabe?_ He thought he was better than this. Perhaps his vision had been clouded this whole time and he couldn't see who the real Gabe was. Whatever the reason, Jesse was beside himself. If Max got that Head position, he could change all the vampire laws, kick out the rest of the Council members and overrule everyone and everything. This was bad. Very, very bad.

“Oh! I need to take your photos for the passports,” Sombra disrupted his thoughts.

She stood, picking up her tablet. With a groan he sat up and let her take his picture. She then went to take Hanzo's but stopped.

“You're going to have to change your appearance since they've been blasting your photo on the news.”

Jesse glanced at him.

“I suppose you are right,” he stood and looked at him, “you mind helping me?”

“Sure darlin’. What are you going to do? Please tell me you're not cutting off those beautiful locks of yours,” he said as he got up and followed him to the master bathroom.

“I will have to,” Hanzo stated, pulling out a hair trimmer.

Jesse pouted as the vampire took hold of his hair with one hand.

“I will grow it back out,” Hanzo said with a smile while Jesse sat on the toilet with the seat down and sighed.

       He then watched as Hanzo started shaving his hair off at the bottom, leaving just a little on the top. His eyes followed the strands that fell to the floor. Watching this made everything seem so much more real. They were running away to a different _country_. He had never been to South Korea and he wondered about this ‘acquaintance’ of Hanzo's. If the vampire trusted them then certainly he could too, right? He also wondered how quickly news traveled. Then a random thought popped into his head… Were there werewolves in South Korea? No matter the situations surrounding him, he would always be on the lookout for his kind. _The wolves have their own version of Council_. He glanced up at Hanzo, who was finishing up. How did he know so much about his species? And why had Gabe never told him of these things? He grew a little depressed.

“What are you dwelling about?,” Hanzo broke up the silence, turning to him.

“Oh, nothin’ darlin’.”

He smiled, “there's no point in lying to me. Here, can you check the back for me?”

He stood, taking the trimmer and going behind him. The undercut he had given himself was nearly perfect. Jesse evened out the bottom and cleaned up the edges before brushing the hair off of his neck and shoulders.

“All set,” he said, putting the trimmer down on the edge of the sink.

“Thanks,” Hanzo turned around to face him, “what do you think?”

Jesse gave him a small smile. He was still gorgeous as ever, even if he looked a bit more dangerous than before. The undercut gave him a little bit of a badass look, like someone you don't want to mess with.

“Still sexy as hell, darlin’.”

A slight blush formed on Hanzo's cheeks.

“We are not done,” he then said before walking out of the bathroom and going to see Sombra so she could take his picture.

What had he meant by that? Not done with what? Was he talking about their conversation? He followed him to the living room, where the picture was taken and then Hanzo came up to him.

“Come,” he took his hand and led him towards the bedroom.

 

     Once in the bedroom, Hanzo opened a door that Jesse thought led to a closet. However, it wasn't a closet at all. It was more about the size of a decent walk-in closet with fancy pillows on the floor. One wall was lined with shelves that held candles and incense holders. The other wall had a katana on display.

“You...you had a sword this entire time?,” Jesse asked.

Hanzo lit some candles and incense. “Yes but I do not use it.”

“Then what's the point?”

Ignoring his question, the vampire knelt down on one of the pillows. “Join me.”

Wait, was this some kind of meditating room? Was Hanzo going to make him meditate? _Oh helllll no._ “Uh, darlin’,” he hesitated, “this isn't really my kind of thing.”

Hanzo turned his head towards him, “humor me, would you?”

With a grumble, he sat down on a pillow beside him, crossing his legs together. “Fine, what do I do?” He wasn't thrilled about the idea but Hanzo didn't do things for no reason. There was a purpose behind this, so he'd play along.

“Nothing. Just sit there and stop thinking.”

“Darlin’, I can't do that.”

“Yes you can. Just close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Don't think about anything else except for your breathing.”

 _Christ_ . He made it sound so easy. How could he just _stop_ thinking? Impossible. But hell, he'd try…for Hanzo.    

         He got into a comfortable position and closed his eyes. _Breathe in, breathe out_ . Rinse and repeat. Of course, all he could think about was Gabe and his bullshit. _Focus, dipshit_ . The longer he sat there, the more the incense was starting to affect him, relaxing his muscles and joints. _Breathe in, breathe out_. The ability to just focus on his breathing was becoming easier. Soon, that's all he could think about. Deep inhale, slow exhale.

     Jesse had no idea how long they had been sitting there in silence, just the sound of his own breathing filling his ears. Then out of nowhere, “don't fall asleep on me.” He cracked an eye at Hanzo.

“I ain't!,” he retorted.

Hanzo chuckled.

“You're distractin’ me, dammit.”

Another chuckle. He huffed and closed his eye. He just about had this meditating thing down too. He started to do the deep breathing and slow exhaling again, going back to where his mind was completely clear. He could sense the air changing around him. Was Hanzo doing something with his powers? He was about to opens his eyes to see what was going on but then suddenly a hand come down on top of his and he felt like was transported into a whole different world.

        Looking around, everything was different. He was no longer in the cabin, or in New Hampshire. The buildings were shaped differently and he could even smell the difference in the air. Was he in...Japan? _What the hell?!_ Not long after, he finally understood. He had somehow ended up in Hanzo’s memories. He was viewing everything from Hanzo’s standpoint. From his childhood, to adolescent years, to becoming who he was today… Training, _so much_ training. He trained with the katana, with shurikens, and with the bow and arrow as well as in the martial arts, of course. While Hanzo’s favorite was the bow, he definitely seemed like one you would _not_ want to mess around with in a sword fight. Hanzo was formidable in any kind of fight to be honest.

        The memories changed and Jesse witnessed the dark side of Hanzo's life. It started with beatings, mainly from his father. He took punishments for not fighting properly, for not using his choice of weapon correctly, and for his younger brother disobeying. It seemed as if he was getting smacked around for every little thing he did wrong.

      And then Jesse saw him go out on missions - assisting the Yakuza. _What? His clan associated with the Japanese mob?_ He couldn't believe it. Nor could he believe what he saw next…. Hanzo killing his own kind, along with their guardians, even humans. _Holy hell_ . Hanzo was a true assassin. This made his original opinion of the guy seem true. But he noticed that through it all, Hanzo didn't like what he was doing. He didn't like the assassin life, he wanted out. There was an argument with his father as he told him he didn't want to work with the Yakuza anymore and then he was giving an ultimatum - if he could kill Genji then he would be free of the assassin life. _What?!_ Why would he need to kill his own brother? Was his father that much of an asshole? Or did he know that Hanzo couldn't do it? The next memory was a sword fight with his brother… And now Jesse understood why Hanzo wouldn't touch a katana anymore...and why he kept it.

       He cursed before gasping as his hand was let go and he returned to reality. He turned his head to Hanzo, filled with shock and disbelief. Having seen all those memories had opened his eyes.

“If you wish to break the contract, I will understand,” Hanzo suddenly said, his voice low, eyes refusing to look at him.

Jesse could feel the despair and worry, the pain in Hanzo's heart. “Now why would I do that, darlin’?” Hanzo looked at him with wide eyes. Jesse smiled. “If anything, it makes me appreciate you even more.”

“B-but...why?,” the vampire asked.

Jesse chuckled. “Come on, darlin’. You've peeked inside my head. You've seen the shit I've done. I can appreciate a person who is trying to turn their life around and redeem themselves for the shit they did in the past.”

Both of them had been pawns, used for their abilities and skills to do evil things. They both had a ton of blood on their hands. But they had left that life and were trying to do good, to be better people and atone for their sins.

“You were right, vampire. We are much more alike than we thought,” Jesse stated.

Hanzo hummed in agreement, a smile slowly creeping up on his face.

“Thank you for showing me that, darlin’.”

“Well, you did want to know more about me, yes?”

“Sure did. And now I know not to mess with you in a fist fight.”

A hearty laugh came from Hanzo before he lunged at him, shoving Jesse down to the floor. “I will teach you,” he said, pinning him.

Jesse was laughing, looking up at the vampire. “Teach me what? How to fight?”

“Yes.”

“Darlin’, I know how to fight.”

“Mmm…”

Next thing he knew, he was flipped onto his stomach, a knee in the middle of his back while an arm went around his neck. What the hell was this shit?! Some kind of jujitsu?!

“Try to get out of this,” Hanzo murmured, his face beside his.

Jesse glanced around, eyeing his options. His arms and legs were free. If he could just ignore the choking… He pushed himself up, wrapping a leg around Hanzo's. Realizing that he gained some of Hanzo's strength through their guardian contract, he used it to flip them and push the vampire down onto the floor.

“That wasn't that difficult, darlin’,” he said as he now pinned him, holding his wrists.

Lust flickered in Hanzo's eyes as he looked down at him. _Oh_...

“I was being easy on you,” the vampire stated.

“Mmhmm, I'm sure,” he replied while smirking before dipping his face down to his, brushing his lips against his cheek. “Tell me, which do you like more? You being on top or me on top?” He spread his legs with his knee, a pleasurable sigh coming out of Hanzo. “Mmm,” Jesse kissed a trail to his neck.

With these new powers, his sense of smell was even more heightened. Hell, he smelled so good. Like, really really good. The urge to bite him and taste his blood rose inside of him. He instantly pulled back in shock.  _What the..._

“Jesse?,” Hanzo’s voice held concern.

“I don't know what you did to me darlin’,” he let go and started to move away, terrified of this new desire, “but you've got me feelin’ like a goddamn vampire.”

He chuckled, “that happens sometimes.” Hanzo quickly grabbed his arms and pulled him back down.

He gasped. “What are you doing?!”

“You want it, do you not?”

Their eyes met before Jesse saw him bringing his fingers up to his neck. He watched as he dug his nails into his own skin, blood coming to the surface. Something inside of Jesse roared to life, the desire to taste his blood now turning into a desperate need. _What the hell?!_ Hanzo took hold of the back of his head and shoved his face towards his neck.

“N-no,” Jesse blurted on a whisper, trying to pull away.

“It may strengthen the power you have already received from me.”

“This...this isn't right.” He was so worked up, he was trembling.

“Take it Jesse,” his voice was stern as his other arm went around his body, holding him so he couldn't get away.

He closed his eyes and sighed. He wanted it so bad yet his mind was screaming to run away as fast as he could. And with Hanzo basically locking him in place, he couldn't go anywhere.

          Surrendering, he lowered his mouth to his neck making the mistake of breathing in deeply. _Son of a bitch_ . He couldn't have stopped himself even if he had tried at that point. With no shame, he ran his tongue along his skin, licking up the blood that had started to drip. The sound that came out of Hanzo's mouth had his own blood rushing straight to his cock. With a moan he began sucking on his neck, the blood flowing into his mouth, coating his throat. _So good_ …he had no idea that this sort of thing would be so enjoyable. Was this how it always was for vampires? _Hell_... He could feel Hanzo's power swimming around in his veins, mixing with his own. Perhaps Hanzo was right about it strengthening the power he already had…

          It was all so much though, a bit overwhelming. Besides the power gain, he was craving Hanzo in all ways possible. With a gasp he stopped, pulling back just a little.

“Is this how it is for you every time?,” he whispered as he tried catching his breath.

There was a small laugh before he answered, “yes, sometimes.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“My turn now.”

Jesse didn't even put up a fight as Hanzo took hold of him and pushed him down onto the floor, climbing on top of him. As they looked at each other, Hanzo gasped.

“Your eyes…”

“What's wrong with 'em?”

Hanzo smiled and shook his head, “nothing. I'd show you but then you'd have to get up.”

He groaned, making Hanzo laugh. “Just bite me darlin’.”

“Mmm,” he hummed, teasing him as he ran his tongue along his neck, “not yet.”

Hanzo sat up, straddling him. Then his hands went to his belly before he slowly ran them up his chest to his shoulders. Jesse's skin was tingling and he trembled in delight under his touch. Hanzo's hands moved to his shoulders, over his biceps, down his arms. Jesse never knew that being touched like this could arouse him so much.

“Mmm,” Hanzo hummed again as he leaned down, bringing his face closer to his, “I've been wanting to do that.”

Jesse chuckled, “you can touch me like that anytime you want, darlin’.”

“Good to know.” His lips brushed up against his, sending a shock throughout Jesse's body, “now there's something else I want to do.”

As Jesse was about to kiss him, he pulled back, leaving him disappointed for a moment. Hanzo shifted his body and moved back while starting to pull down the shorts he was wearing. _Oh_ . He removed the shorts before placing his hands on his ankles, slowly running them up his legs to his thighs. _Oh hell’s bells._ Now this was downright mean. He caressed his thighs, getting as close to his hard-on as he could without touching it. Jesse cursed. Hanzo giggled, “calm down cowboy.”

He started to sit up, looking down at Hanzo. A devilish grin met him before the vampire lowered himself, his mouth wrapping around his cock. Another curse left his mouth as he fell back to the floor.

      All of his senses were heightened because of Hanzo's blood, which made every touch feel like he was being swallowed up in ecstasy. Hanzo certainly wasn't helping - his mouth working wonders on him. Everything was so intense, it wasn't taking him very long to reach the breaking point. His body soon betrayed him as it bucked and shook, the orgasm taking over. Hanzo didn't miss a beat, one of his hands grabbing his while his mouth remained on him. Was he…? Oh dear God, he _was_. What a naughty vampire. He laughed to himself before Hanzo licked up what remained of his release and then moved back. Their eyes met, a smirk forming on Hanzo's face. Jesse was then pulled up into a sitting position.

“Thought we were supposed to be meditatin’,” Jesse said with a grin.

“We are. Come here and meditate in my lap.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You best be gettin’ naked too then.”

Hanzo got onto his knees, “of course.”

He watched as he pushed his shorts down, taking them off one leg at a time before sitting back down. Well, well. He had quite the hard-on himself.

“Come,” the vampire demanded.

“Already did, darlin’.” They shared a laugh before Jesse crawled onto his lap, taking a hold of his face. “Now it's your turn,” he whispered, kissing him.

There was a small moan from the vampire and then Jesse positioned himself above the cock that was waiting for him, slowly lowering his body. He gripped his shoulders for balance as his head went back, moans coming from both of them. It didn't matter how many times they did this or who was inside who, it always felt incredible beyond belief. It was even more so now that Jesse's body was so sensitive because of Hanzo's blood. He moved his hands back up to his face and kissed him as their bodies synced up in their movements.

“Both,” Hanzo suddenly whispered between kisses.

“Both what?”

“I like it both with you on top or under me, or like this.”

“Mmm,” he smiled, moving his hips faster, “same, darlin’. Same.”

Jesse kissed him hard as Hanzo's arms held him close to his chest, nails digging into his back. They continued kissing until Jesse moved his mouth to the side to catch his breath. Hanzo took that opportunity to start kissing his neck. Jesse knew what he wanted. After doing it himself, he now understood the need and the desire. Moving a hand to the back of Hanzo's head, he tilted his own.

“Mmm,” Hanzo hummed seconds before biting down, making him cry out as he always did.

Pain mixed with pleasure every time. God, he loved this...loved what he did to him and how he made him feel... Loved _him_ . There, he said it. To himself. There was no way in hell he was going to tell him directly. Not now, anyway. Even if it wasn't such a secret. It was _way_ too soon for such a declaration. Who knew what was going to happen in the coming days - or weeks. For right now, he was just gonna enjoy the time he had with him and try not to fall so deep in love with him that he lost focus.

      Jesse stopped thinking and kept rocking his hips, riding Hanzo like it was the last time they were going to be intimate. As Hanzo gripped at him tighter, his body trembling underneath his, he stopped and held him in return. There was something really romantic about the way they held each other. He never wanted to let go. This was pure bliss…


	17. Chapter 17

         Gabe left Jack asleep in the bed and headed to his office after throwing on a pair of jeans. Once at his desk, he pulled out his scotch, poured a glass and sat down, lighting a cigarette. The case file on Hanzo Shimada was still on his desk, staring up at him. With a growl, he shoved the papers off his desk. That fucking vampire. He was ruining everything. And took his best weapon.  _ Goddammit! _ Fucking Jesse...that stupid ass punk. What the hell was he thinking befriending that vampire?  _ And _ letting him bite him?! Gabe could feel his rage growing. It was only a matter of time before that piece of shit vampire made Jesse his guardian. And once that happened… He took a heavy sip while sucking hard on the cigarette. If Jesse became his guardian, that was going to make this whole plan more difficult. Hanzo Shimada needed to die. 

        Suddenly his cell phone started ringing.  _ Shit _ . With slight hesitation, he answered, putting the call on speaker.

“Maximilien.”

_ “Status?” _

He swallowed. “Uhhh, well, we've run into a slight snag.” 

_ “A slight snag?! What exactly is this ' slight snag' ?” _

“Well,” he began, putting out his cigarette and lighting another one, “we found him but lost him. And he took one of mine as hostage.” 

There was a deep sigh on the other line.  _ “We don't have time to be dicking around, Reyes.” _

“I am well aware. I'm already on it.” 

He wondered for a moment if he should tell Maximilien about the status of Genji Shimada. Thanks to Jack and Angela, that little shit was still alive...and being treated by Nightfall, the enemy. While dangerous, that vampire wasn't as important as his brother. He could deal with that problem on his own. There was no need to tell Max about it. Plus, he was pissed enough about the situation with Hanzo, didn't need to make him even more mad. 

_ “Find him, Reyes. Either capture him or kill him, I don't care. I need him to disappear. If he's still alive, we cannot move forward.”  _

“Understood.” 

There was a click and the call ended. With a growl, Gabe raised his arm, ready to chuck the phone across the room. 

“So I think now would be a good time for you to explain yourself.” 

Gabe froze, arm mid-throw. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to find Jack leaning up against the wall, arms crossed against his chest. With an annoyed sigh, he tossed the phone onto the desk and finished the scotch in his glass. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough. What the hell, Gabe? What kind of shit did you get yourself into now?” 

He started laughing. The thought of being lectured by good ol’ Jack (again) was hilarious. “Save it, soldier.” 

“No, not this time.” Jack had pulled away from the wall and went up to the desk, standing in front of him. “What is this Maximilien guy making you do?” 

“He's not  _ making _ me do anything. I'm helping him out with some things.” 

Gabe leaned back in his chair after pouring some more scotch and put his feet up on the desk.  “Tell me Jack, you ever hear of Talon Industries?” 

His eye twitched, making Gabe chuckle. “Don't tell me-” 

“I don't need to, now do I?” 

Jack looked like he was about to hop the desk, rage flashing in his face. “You…”

He laughed. “Don't sound so surprised, Jackie.” 

The human sighed heavily, stepping away from the desk. “Out of all the things you've done,” he said, heading towards the bedroom, “this tops the list. I'm done with you. I can't bail your ass out of this one.” 

Gabe watched him leave the office.  _ I'm done with you _ . He chuckled. Oh silly soldier boy, if only you _could_ be done with me, he thought. He lit another cigarette and sipped his scotch.  _ I'm done with you _ . Those words kept repeating in his head, pulling at his heart strings a little. He shook his head. This was no time to be letting something like that get to him. 

“I hope you know what you're doing,” Jack came back into the office, fully dressed with his backpack on his shoulder. 

“Where are you going?”

“I'm going home, jackass.”

“What about Jesse?”

“He's a big boy. He can handle himself.”

He growled. “That's not what I meant.” 

Jack ignored him and started heading for the double doors of the office. “Good luck, Gabe. Don't fucking call me.” 

The human smiled back at him. Heh. He thought he could just walk out of here? Gabe chuckled before materializing behind Jack, taking hold of him before he opened the doors. 

“Where do you think you're going?,” he whispered by his ear, “I'm not done with you yet.” 

“Let go of me, Gabe.” His voice was eerily calm. 

“I can't do that.” 

“Why not? You can find Jesse on your own.” 

“This isn't just about Jesse.” He ran his hand up his chest, kissing the top of his ear. “You're part of the plan, too.” 

“Like hell I am!” 

He had forgotten to bind his arms and soon found himself flying across the room. Jack and his superhuman strength… He grinned as he slowly got up from the floor before using his vampire ability to disappear into a shadow. 

 

         As soon as he saw Gabe vanish into thin air, Jack booked it out of the office and down the stairs. He wasn't afraid of him, per say. But there was slight panic running through his veins as he jumped the remaining steps and ran towards the front door. He tried reaching for his gun that he had put in his bag, not thinking that he'd have to use it again. Big mistake.  _ Fucking hell _ . He shoved open the front door and ran up to his SUV, fumbling with the damn keys. 

“Jaaaaack.” 

His heart skipped a beat and he ended up dropping the keys. Just as he bent down to retrieve them, another hand grabbed them.  _ Fuck! _ He sighed and pressed his forehead against the car door, defeated. 

“You know that running from me is pointless so why do you bother?,” Gabe asked, leaning against the car. 

“I don't want anything to do with this plan of yours, Reyes.”

“Ooo, using my last name now,” he chuckled while tossing the keys up into the air repeatedly. 

Jack turned his head just enough to watch Gabe without him noticing. 

“You know that I would never hurt you, Jack-”

Now he laughed. “How many times have you said that to Jesse?” 

There was a growl from the vampire. “Leave him out of this. This is between you and me.” 

Jack wasn't really listening to him, just paying attention to the motion of the keys. Up, down, brief pause, back to up… As the keys started to fall back down, he made his move, snatching them mid-air. He immediately grabbed the keyfob, hitting the unlock button once to just unlock the driver's door. Using Gabe's shock and surprise to his advantage, he quickly opened the door and got in, locking the door immediately. 

“You son of a bitch!!,” Gabe hollered, banging on the window.

Jack couldn't help but crack up while he started the car. He then shrugged, winking at him before throwing the vehicle in reverse and hitting the gas so hard, he spun out a little. There was an incredibly loud roar from Gabe as he drove off.  _ Fuck you, Gabe.  _ He glanced in the rearview mirror to find the sad soul just standing there in his driveway, eyes as red as his blood, his hands clenched in fists.  _ That's right, you stay right there and watch me leave, asshole _ . If there was one thing that he  _ did _ know about Gabe, it was that he wasn't lying when he said he wouldn't hurt him. They may have a twisted love-hate relationship but Gabe would never do anything to physically cause him harm. And that meant not chasing and stopping a moving vehicle with him at the wheel. Jack expected a phone call in about, oh, say fifteen minutes? He chuckled to himself. 

 

         Hanzo and Jesse finally got up, finding their way to the bathroom where they took a shower together. After they cleaned up and put on clothes (gym shorts for Jesse, silk robe for Hanzo), they joined Sombra in the living room to go over their strategy for the flight. It wasn't much of a strategy… Hanzo was just going to use his vampire powers to invade the security's minds and allow them to pass through the gates with no problems. As much as Jesse hated when vampires used their mind-controlling powers, he was starting to come around. It was going to be quite useful, especially when the freakin’ katana showed up on the monitoring system. They weren't bringing much, just a carry-on for each but Hanzo insisted that he bring the damn sword. Jesse couldn't blame him, he supposed, especially since he was bringing his revolver. 

         Jesse sat back on the couch, drinking his glass of whiskey. With all this talk about the flight and such, he was starting to feel a bit anxious. He was no longer nervous about actually running away, but the idea of going on a plane itself… There wasn't very many things that he was scared of. But flying was  _ definitely _ one of them. And no one, not even Jack or Gabe knew about that fear. 

“So, we're flying out of Boston…,” Sombra was going over the travel itinerary. He was half listening, not really giving a shit. He just wanted to get the fuck out of there and be done with the flight as quickly as possible.  _ Flying out of Boston _ . Wait a second…

“Boston?,” he suddenly asked, interrupting whatever conversation she and Hanzo were having.

“Uh, yeeeaahh. Where else would we-”

“How are we getting to Boston? That's at least an hour to an hour a half away from here, by car.” 

He watched as Sombra eyed Hanzo. He then looked at him, wondering if this was part of the conversation he hadn't been paying attention to. 

Hanzo smiled, “I will be flying us there.” 

He just stared at him, dumbfounded and repeating what he had just said. What in God's name was he talking about?! 

“What do you mean by ‘flying us there’?,” he asked. 

“He's a dragon, ain't he?,” Sombra responded and he looked at her. 

Huh? When did she-? Hanzo had started laughing. He wasn't really sure what was going on or how Sombra found out about Hanzo's ability to transform into a dragon but…bloody hell. They were going to  _ ride _ Hanzo to the airport? The more he thought about it, the more anxious he got. He had been on Hanzo's back once before, in wolf form and it had been a completely different situation. He was terrified of planes, nevermind being on the back of a goddamn dragon with nothing to hold onto and the risk of falling off…

“Can't we just take a cab or something?,” he blurted out. 

“Jess, we're in the middle of nowhere. The likelihood of us finding a cab is slim to none. Plus, it'd be hella expensive,” Sombra answered. 

She had a point but… “What about that city we went to for dinner? I'm sure they have cabs there. I'll pay for the ri-”

“Jesse.”

Hanzo cut him off and placed a hand over his. He glanced down at their hands before moving his eyes up to his. The vampire was giving him a gentle smile as if he understood his concerns. “I'll check to see if we can get a ride to Boston, okay?” 

“O-okay,” he replied with a nod.

Hanzo knew. He had to... With a sigh, he filled his glass with more whiskey, slipped his hand out of Hanzo’s and then got up. “I need a smoke.”

Without another word or waiting for a response, he headed to the front door. Once outside, he plopped down on the steps and lit a cigarillo. 

        Despite the meditation session earlier, Jesse was filled with anxiety. It wasn't just about the airplane ride. It was... _ everything.  _ He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. So much had happened the past few days. Had it even been a week since Hanzo rescued him in the woods?  _ Hell _ . He had no idea what day it was. His concept of time had vanished ever since he arrived here. 

        Sipping his whiskey, he began thinking about all the events that occurred from the moment he arrived at Gabe's. He never did find out why Gabe seemed so nervous and on edge. Had it been because of Hanzo? He shrugged. Guess he'll never know. That bridge was broken, the pieces carried off to the sea, gone forever. There wasn't going to be any reconciling with him now. And he kind of didn't want to, if it was even a possibility. He knew that Hanzo played a part in all that. Speaking of…

        He turned his head slightly just as Hanzo came outside and sat down beside him. 

“Sombra is doing a search for cab companies in that area,” he stated.

“I'm sorry, I just don't think you flying us there is a wise decision,” he admitted, looking away from him. 

“You are likely right.” 

He chuckled. That was probably the first time anyone had ever said he was right. Leave it to Hanzo to be the one to say it.  _ Hanzo.  _ Now he was starting to understand why he was so drawn to him (other than obvious reasons, like how stunning he was). The man treated him like his equal, he didn't treat him like he was his boss or  _ owner _ . There was a mutual respect between them. 

“You are still worried about the trip, no?,” the vampire mentioned, interrupting his thoughts.

He sighed, taking a long sip. “I'm not usually the run away type. But it is the best option right now.” 

“I understand. We'll be much safer at my friend's place though, I can promise you that.” 

He still wanted to ask about this ‘friend’ but figured he'd learn soon enough. His theory was that if Hanzo trusted them then he could as well. Unless he was being set up and lead into a trap. But he couldn't imagine Hanzo would go to all this trouble to do such a thing. He wouldn't have made him his guardian if that was the case. 

       He drank more of his whiskey, finishing the glass. Putting the glass down on the step, he let out a heavy sigh. 

“You're tense again,” Hanzo said softly. 

“I told you that I'm always like this.” 

“Yes, and always hungry.” There was a small chuckle from the vampire, making him look over at him. 

“It's been a crazy past few days, huh?” 

“Indeed. I never expected this outcome from watching you.” 

“Watching me,” he repeated with a snort, “what compelled you to stalk me anyway?” 

Hanzo then explained that the night he had arrived at Gabe's was the night that he had planned to approach Gabe for assistance. But as soon as he had seen Jesse show up, he figured it was because he had been ordered to come after him. 

“I didn't even know you were in New Hampshire, darlin’.” 

“I couldn't be too sure. So I eavesdropped on your conversations with Gabriel.” 

“I'm sure that was amusin’ as hell.” 

“I would not call it that. I didn't like the way Gabriel talked to you. I had a feeling something wasn't right. And when you stormed off…,” his voice trailed off. 

Jesse chuckled, “you followed me into the woods.” 

“Yes.”

He didn't really understand the reasons behind Hanzo stalking him but it wasn't a big deal. He had saved his life. If he hadn't been there… His mind went back to when he heard the gunshots and the cry of the other wolf. He still felt like such an asshole for leaving whoever that had been behind. They had probably gotten caught and were likely dead by now. He cursed under his breath. 

“It was not a werewolf that you had heard, by the way,” Hanzo suddenly said.

“Huh?”

“I can sense your regret. You had wanted to save them.” 

“Well, yeah. It's not often I come across another of my kind-”

“It was just a regular wolf.”

He stared at Hanzo. “Oh.” 

“So you made the right decision to keep running.” 

That was a relief. He felt bad about the wolf but at least it hadn't been one of his kind. 

“Everything is going to be okay, Jesse.” 

This wasn't the first time Hanzo had said such a thing. He always sounded so confident, too. For someone who was going through hell himself, he was awfully positive…all the freakin’ time. 

“How can you be so sure?,” he asked. 

Hanzo chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. “I'm not. But you have to have hope.” 

“Heh. Is that a Japanese thing?”

Hanzo grumbled, “it is  _ not _ . You just have to have hope that things will work out. Otherwise you'll just end up in a black hole.”

He laughed. “Like I already have?” 

“Basically.”

With a sigh, he looked up at the night sky.  _ Hope _ . That wasn't something he ever had. His being abandoned as a child and then infected with the demon blood had pretty much taken any and all hope away from him. 

        “Good news,” Sombra's voice had both of them turning their heads around, “I found a driver who is willing to drive us to Boston. The price ain't great but it's reasonable for the situation.” 

“See,” Hanzo stated as they made eye contact, “have hope.” 

Jesse rolled his eyes before looking away. 

“Fantastic, Sombra. Thank you,” Hanzo replied to her. 

“Our flight is scheduled to leave around 11. We should arrive at the airport around 9 to be safe. It'll take about two hours or so to get to Boston from where we are now.” 

Jesse listened to her but didn't say anything. He was  _ not _ looking forward to this at all. 

“So we should leave here around 630-7,” Hanzo advised.

“Mmhmm.” 

“What time is it now?” 

Sombra glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Almost four in the morning.” 

“Alright. I should finish packing and then we should all get some sleep. The next twenty four hours are going to be rough.” 

“Good idea.” 

The front door closed as she went back inside. Jesse could feel Hanzo's eyes on him. He continued with puffing on his cigarillo. 

“Jess-”

“I'm fine,” he cut him off. 

There was a small gasp but then he felt Hanzo's hand on his shoulder as he got up. “I'll be inside finishing with packing my things. Don't stay up too late.” 

Without another word, he was gone. Jesse let out another heavy sigh. He was swimming in a whole slew of emotions, unsure of how to handle any of them. Hanzo was trying to make him feel better, he knew that. But hell…out of all the things he's done in his life, this whole situation with Hanzo was probably the most difficult. Was it because  _ feelings _ had gotten involved? Was it because of what happened with Gabe and Jack? As much as he wanted to think that losing both of them wasn't such a big deal, it was proving to be a lie. Sure, he could handle life on his own and not depend on them. But not having either as part of his life anymore was something that stung a little bit. They were basically his only family. He paused that thought for a moment, glancing back at the cabin. As odd as it sounded, he had a new family now, didn't he? With a smile, he got up and headed inside. 


	18. Chapter 18

        Gabe sat at his desk, his hands on his head, ready to rip his hair out. The sun was coming up and he still hadn't heard from Akande and Amelie. They should be back any min-

“Shut up, Amelie!” 

Akande's voice brought Gabe's head up as they barged into the office. 

“Seriously, why do we keep her around?,” Akande asked as he walked up to the desk, Amelie staying back and leaning against the door frame, her arms going across her chest. 

Gabe chuckled, “she's a pain in the ass but she's good at her job.” 

“Oh, like trying to shoot Jesse instead of that other vampire?,” Akande retorted.

So he had noticed that little detail…no matter. He cleared his throat. “Did you find her?” 

“If we had, don't you think we would've brought her back?” 

Akande was just like Jesse sometimes with that smartass attitude… He took a deep breath in an attempt to keep his rage from exploding. “Well then," he paused, "if you didn't find her, what the _hell_ have you been doing all goddamn night?!” 

There was a snort from Amelie, who still remained otherwise quiet, not saying a word. 

“Running around in circles because that little shit purposely ran around the woods, putting her scent everywhere to throw us off.”

Akande was pissed and frustrated, but trying to maintain a cool head. Unlike Jesse.  _ Goddammit! _ He needed to stop thinking about that fucking wolf. With a sigh, he got up, grabbed the scotch and started pouring. Sombra was a sneaky bitch alright. She knew he was going to send Akande after her so she deliberately left her scent all over the woods before using her powers to vanish into thin air, her scent also vanishing. She was smarter than he gave credit for.  _ Argh!  _

“Tell him, Akande,” Amelie finally spoke, making Gabe glance at her for a moment as he sat back down and took a sip. 

“While we didn't find Som, Amelie spotted a cabin in the distance and believes she saw Jesse with that Hanzo guy sitting outside of it,” Akande finally said. 

“Oh?,” Gabe smiled, leaning back in his chair. 

Well this was good news, if what she saw was correct. “Amelie.” 

She peeled away from the wall and made her way to his desk, standing beside Akande. 

“Tell me more of what you saw,” he demanded. 

She did as she was told, explaining that they didn't dare get closer in fear of Jesse smelling them so she observed with her sniper abilities from the top of a tree. The cabin sat in the middle of a clearing in the woods and appeared to be occupied. Two people were sitting on the front steps and they looked a lot like Jesse and Hanzo. 

“I could not tell if Sombra was in the cabin or not,” she stated.

“I think it's safe to say that she was,” Gabe mentioned, “there's nowhere else she would run off to.” 

“She always did have a thing for Jesse,” Akande piped in.

“I should've known,” Gabe sighed, a bit mad at himself for not watching her more closely. Too late for that, though. “Well, we know our next plan of action. We go to that cabin tonight.” 

“Yes sir,” Akande and Amelie replied at the same time. 

“We leave right at sundown.” 

They nodded and bowed. Amelie wasted no time in turning around and heading for the door. Akande, however…

“What's with him?” 

Gabe looked to his side, grinning. Poor ol’ Jackie… “He's been a bad boy.” 

“I... I see.” 

“Don't worry about him. He's fine. I just gave him some muscle relaxers.” 

Gabe stood, going over to the human. Jack looked up at him, anger burning in his eyes as he sat there, his body bound to the chair with chains. The muscle relaxers were required so that his stupid superhuman strength wouldn't allow him to break free. Gabe smiled at him as he caressed the side of his face. Jack struggled against the chains, muttering something incomprehensible due to the duct tape over his mouth to keep him quiet. 

“I am sure you know what you are doing,” Akande stated, making it sound more like a question.

He looked at him. “Of course I do. Jack's a liability now so he isn't going anywhere, whether he likes it or not.” 

“I see. But isn't the tape a little unnecessary?” 

“He wouldn't shut up.” 

“Oh.” 

Akande took another look at the human before shrugging. “Well I'm gonna go get some rest in preparation for tonight.” 

“Good idea. Thanks for your help in this.” 

He nodded and bowed once more before leaving. Gabe turned back to Jack, still smiling. 

“You do understand why I am doing this, right?,” Gabe asked. 

Jack just stared up at him, his face red with rage. With a heavy sigh, Gabe went back to his desk and sat down, refilling his glass.

“I am sorry, Jackie but you need to calm down and understand my position in all of this. You know a bit too much about the situation now,” he began saying before Jack got so angry, he ended up flipping the chair over, landing sideways on the floor.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!,” Gabe yelled before getting up and going over to him, putting his hands on his hips as he looked down at the human. Jack was running his mouth, talking to him even though he knew he couldn’t understand a damn word. He grumbled. “Fine, I’ll remove the tape but chill the fuck out.”

He bent down, picked up the chair with Jack still bound and set it upright before he pulled the tape off his mouth.

“Jesus fucking Christ!,” Jack yelled, “pull harder next time, geez!”

Gabe grinned, raising an eyebrow as he leaned into him. “Sure, sweetie. I’ll pull harder.”

He rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

Laughing, Gabe went back to his desk and lit a cigarette.

“You are ridiculous, you know that? This is all  _ your  _  fault!”

He eyed Jack but didn’t respond.

“ _ You’re _ the one who told me everything! If you didn’t want me to know then why the hell did you even tell me?!”

He did tell him, didn’t he? Whoops. He chuckled. “My bad.”

Jack went off on a cursing tangent. Alright, so maybe he was being a bit unfair to the guy but the matter of the fact was that he needed him. Needed his brains and strategy skills. He studied the human’s face. He also needed him for moral support. And comfort. Jack had been the only person  _ ever _ who had calmed him down and helped him to get back on track when shit went haywire. He knew Jack didn’t like the things he got involved in but he always answered the call, always came to his aid. That was pure dedication right there. He probably owed him more than being chained up to a fucking chair. 

He stubbed his cigarette out and walked up to Jack, who wouldn’t even look at him. 

“I’m sorry,” he said softly.

“Pffft.”

“No, really I am. I-”

“Just shut it, Gabe. I get it. You need me and don’t want me running off. You don’t want me telling Angela anything for fear of her telling that Genji kid.”

“Jack-”

“I fucking get it, alright?!,” he yelled as he finally looked at him. 

He was taken aback a bit and didn't know what to say, especially as Jack's shoulders slumped while he looked away from him again. Fucking hell. What was he doing? He was being so selfish...so… He cursed before yanking the chains off of him. 

“You stupid son of a bitch!,” Jack yelled, grabbing and throwing him towards the window behind his desk as soon as he was free.  The human ran up to him, taking hold of his shirt, lifting his upper body up and then shoving it back down onto the floor with incredible strength and power. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Gabe just stared up at him, shocked. Not only was he surprised that the muscle relaxers were already wearing off, but because of the look in his eyes...

“Why are you helping that man?! For money? For power?,” Jack continued to yell, pinning him to the floor, even though he knew that he could just use his powers to turn into wraith form and get free. 

“I don’t need the money,” he replied.  
  
“Then what?! Power?! A seat on Council that you already refused?!”

“Jack-”

The old soldier’s eyes started getting red and teary.  _ Holy shit _ .  

“Why, Gabe?! Why do you  _ always _ do this?! I’ve tried so hard to keep you from going bad yet you keep going back! I can’t keep coming to your rescue! I can’t save you anymore!” Jack then cursed and let go, getting up. 

Gabe sighed and sat up, leaning against the window. “I’m not meant to be saved, you know that.”

“No shit,” Jack had begun pacing, “but I keep coming to your aid. Only God knows why.”

He chuckled to himself. He knew exactly why he couldn’t stay away.  _ Both _ of them knew. 

“I’m sorry. You deserve better than me.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Don’t you think I already know that?”

Now he laughed aloud, standing up. “Yet you still come when I call.”

Jack stopped walking. “Cuz I’m fucking stupid!”

Gabe materialized in front of him. Not even a jump, as if he had been expecting it. “If I could walk away from this, I would. But I can’t. I’m in too deep now and it’s too late to back out.”

“You say that every time.” The human’s voice had grown quieter as he looked away from him, his hands going to his hips.

“I know.” He slipped his arms around him, pulling Jack closer. “You can go back home. I won’t stop you this time.”

Their eyes met. “Don’t give me that now.” Jack reached up and took hold of his face. Gabe watched as his eyes got watery again. “Even though it’s pointless, I’ll never stop trying to save you from yourself.”

His eyes went wide in shock before he smiled, leaning his forehead against his, “I don’t deserve you.”

“No, you don’t.”

He laughed for a moment. “I love you, Jack.” Their eyes met briefly.

“I love you too, asshole.”

They kissed and Gabe knew that he owed Jack big time. And he was going to start with giving him the greatest pleasure he’s ever had. He picked him up, Jack's legs going around his waist while he carried him to the bedroom. Make up sex wasn’t going to have anything on what they were about to do… Gabe grinned as he dropped Jack onto the bed, eyeing him as if he was candy.   
  


       Jesse had slept like shit, his nerves working him to no end. He spent most of the day in wolf form, guarding the house. Before he knew it, it was time to get going. He grabbed his bag full of clothes, his revolver and remaining tranquilizers and met Hanzo and Sombra outside the cabin. It was early, the sun was still out but thankfully, there were a bunch of clouds hiding it. A storm was coming…

“Everybody got everything they need?,” Hanzo asked.

“Yep! I’ve got my laptop, tablet, and headphones. I’m good,” Sombra answered.

He didn’t have much to begin with, nodding as Hanzo looked at him before he watched the vampire take the sake bottle in his hand and throw it at the front door. The glass broke, alcohol spilling out. What’d he do that for?

“Can I see your lighter please?”

Without even thinking, Jesse pulled out his Zippo and handed it to him. Realization hit just as Hanzo flicked the lighter, flame coming to life and then he tossed the lighter onto the porch. Fire ignited instantly and Jesse sighed.

“What the fuck,” he flatly said, not even bothering to make it a question. He watched as the flames grew, consuming the cabin. And here he thought that they would return someday and he would call this  _ home _ ... Not anymore! 

“We need to get moving, it will draw attention,” Hanzo mentioned.

Yeah, no shit. If Gabe had people in the area, they would definitely find them now. 

“Come on, Jess.”   
  
His arm was grabbed and yanked on. With a grumble, he finally pulled his eyes away from the burning building and turned around. He quickly removed his clothing, shoving it into his bag before handing it to Sombra and then shifting. Hopping onto Hanzo, he glanced back at the cabin. That was his good lighter too…

 

       They made good timing, getting to the city quicker than expected. Luckily, the cab driver was ready so they embarked on their nearly 2-hour drive to Boston. Sombra sat on the left side, Jesse took the right side while Hanzo sat in the middle of the back seat. Som was playing on her tablet while listening to music. Jesse stared out the window as he leaned up against it. The wolf seemed exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept earlier. Perhaps he didn’t? He hadn’t been in the bed when he woke up. Hanzo continued to study him. There was something else going on. It wasn’t just sleepiness. Was he upset that he burnt the cabin down? Surely he understood why he did it...right? 

“Jesse,” he said softly.

“That was my Zippo, man.”

His lighter. Really? He was upset about  _ that _ ?! “I will buy you another one.” 

       There was a sigh from the wolf, who still kept looking out the window. No, it wasn’t the lighter that he was actually upset about it. There was something else. He was just using the lighter to cover it up. The desire to use his powers and get into his head was pulling at him. But he couldn’t do that. It wasn’t fair to Jesse. Maybe he was still worried about the trip? About running away? About going somewhere he’d never been before? He knew if he asked, Jesse wouldn’t tell him. Not now anyway. So he did the next best thing. He took his hand into his, their fingers interlocking together. The wolf glanced at him for a moment and he gave him a small smile. Jesse returned the smile before going back to the window. Not a second later and Jesse squeezed his hand tight, his eyes closing. Something was _definitely_ bothering him, his grip affirmation of that. Knowing that this wasn’t the best place to discuss much of anything, Hanzo squeezed back, letting some of his powers flow through him to Jesse.

“Get some rest, cowboy,” he whispered, brushing some of his hair back with his other hand while he watched Jesse’s shoulders slump as his relaxation powers took him over. 

Hanzo spent the rest of the drive watching over his guardian, their hands together the entire time. 


	19. Chapter 19

          “Jesse, wake up. We’re here.”

He groaned and cracked an eye, slowly lifting his head off the window he had been leaning on.

_Where was he? What was going on?_ The slamming of a car door made him jump, eyes popping wide open only to squint as he looked out the window. Incredibly bright lights all around...terminal signs...tons of vehicles coming and going. _Shit_. Were they at the airport already?

“You alright?”

He glanced to his left to see Hanzo leaning into the car, staring at him with concern. The grogginess quickly disappeared as he realized it wasn’t long before he boarded a plane. His anxiety and nervousness came back with a vengeance. _Play it cool, play it cool_.

“Uhh, sure,” he said after clearing his throat.

Their eyes met and for a brief second, he would’ve sworn he saw one of Hanzo’s eyes twitch before the vampire gave him a soft smile and then backed up, closing the door. With another groan, he rubbed his eyes. _Okay_ , _you can do this._ He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He needed to chill before Hanzo took notice...if he hadn’t already.

          Opening the door and getting out, he breathed in, taking in all the different scents and looked around. Vampires were _everywhere_. And this was just outside, nevermind inside the actual airport.

“Jesus Christ,” he mumbled.

He jumped as the sound of the trunk slamming shut startled him.

“Estas bien, companero?,” Sombra asked with a chuckle as she tossed her bag over her shoulder and started walking towards the airport entrance.

“It will be alright.”

He nearly jumped again as Hanzo came up behind him. He was so worked up, he hadn’t even felt him there. As Hanzo walked around and held out his bag for him, he shook his head.

“This isn’t a good idea. These vamps are gonna be able to smell me out,” he said on a low voice.

Hanzo chuckled, “you underestimate me.”

He furrowed his brows. “How so?”

He leaned in, kissing his forehead before pressing his hand up against it. “Have a little faith in me, shifter,” Hanzo whispered.

_Have faith_ … His train of thought disappeared as he watched Hanzo’s eyes change colors as a warmth flowed from his palm and into his skin. He could feel it travel from his head down his neck to his shoulders to his fingers and then through his belly down to his legs. It was a strange sensation, but a calming one. Did all of Hanzo’s powers have the ability to calm or relax someone? He didn’t feel any different, though. Not like he did that one time on the porch…  

“What’d you do?,” he asked as Hanzo pulled his hand away and he looked down at his body to make sure it was still the same.

Hanzo laughed and turned, “I put you in a bubble.”

“A bubble?!”

What in tarnation was he talking about?! He didn’t have time to ask though as the cab was already gone and Hanzo was about to leave him there standing outside. He sprinted to catch up with him and Sombra.

         Once inside, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. He was pretty sure there were more vampires than humans. Oddly enough though, none of them looked at him any differently or stared him down. _Huh_ . He followed Hanzo and Sombra to get their boarding passes, only to wait in line. He began fiddling his thumbs. The longer he stood there, the more butterflies showed up in his stomach and the more it felt like he couldn’t breathe.  
  
_Calm down, Jesse_.

He immediately looked at Hanzo, who was giving him that same soft smile - he _had_ to know something was up. What surprised him even more was the fact that he heard Hanzo’s voice. In his head. Right. _Guardian contract, stupid_.

         After a couple of minutes, the line moved and soon it was his turn. Hanzo and Sombra had already gotten their boarding passes and were standing there, waiting for him. The woman behind the kiosk was a vampire.

“Good evening, sir. How can I help you?”

He cleared his throat but couldn’t think of the words to say.

“He needs his boarding pass,” Hanzo stepped in and advised, “he’s with us.”

“Okay,” she smiled, “I will need your ID and passport, please.”

He sucked in a breath before pulling out the items needed from his wallet. He tried to maintain his cool as she examined the IDs and entering something in on the computer.

“No luggage for you, either?,” she asked.

“Ah, no, ma’am. Just a carry-on,” he finally found words.

She smiled and handed him his IDs back along with the boarding pass. “You are all set. Have a night flight, Joel Morrison.”

He refrained from scowling and forced a smile and thanked her before walking off. _Joel Morrison_ . He was going to _kill_ Sombra. What kind of goddamned name was that?!

         From there, they headed over to the security area, which is where Jesse was the most nervous (other than the flight itself). All of their carry-ons had “illegal” items - weapons, of course. Jesse wasn’t 100% sure how Hanzo planned to get those past security BUT he was a vampire, after all. He likely had a few tricks up his sleeve. If not...well...they were all going to jail and it’d be the end to their grand ol’ plan.

          Sombra went first. She, of course, played it cool as if nothing was out of normal. He followed her lead, putting his bag on the conveyor after she put hers. He then watched as she was called up to the stand before the full body scan machine.

“Breathe, Jesse,” Hanzo whispered from behind him, a hand landing in his shoulder. “It's all going to be fine.”

He was about to turn his head to look at him when Hanzo kissed him on the cheek and then he was called up. He took a deep breath and walked forwards.

“ID and boarding pass.”

The TSA agent behind the podium was a tall, burly man who _almost_ looked like he could lay Jesse out. But he was human and while he would be fun to fight, Jesse could easily take him down. He handed him his (fake) ID and boarding pass. The man, named Mark per his name tag spent a good couple seconds scrutinizing the ID. It was beginning to make Jesse nervous. He was so focused on this guy, he completely forgot about their bags on the conveyor.

“Step into the scanner, please,” Mark finally said as he handed him his stuff back.

Since he didn't have any weapons on his body, this scanner thing was going to be easy. He stood in the machine, spreading his legs and raising his arms as required. He couldn't help but take in a deep breath as the machine did its job.

“Clear.”

He stepped out and joined Sombra, who was holding his bag along with hers.

“See, that was easy,” she smiles.

Jesse glanced at Hanzo, who's whispering to Mark, his eyes an icy blue. He was using his powers…

“Not so easy for him, though,” Sombra states and he looks at her before grabbing Hanzo's bag.

How the hell did their bags pass through the scanner?! This was crazy… Fucking vampires… He looked back at Hanzo, who's smiling and walking pass Mark. Guess the chat went well. Jesse watches as he goes through the full body scanner and then he walked up to him, still smiling.

“You used your powers, didn't you?,” Jesse asked as he held out his bag for him.

“Of course,” Hanzo grins, taking the bag.

“He _is_ on the national watch list,” Sombra adds.

Jesse sighed. He could really use a smoke right now and perhaps some alcohol. While the most risky part of this whole plan was seemingly done with, he still had to get through the actual flight. His nerves refused to calm down and the damn butterflies in his stomach were beginning to make him nauseous.

“Let’s head to our gate,” Hanzo stated before turning around and walking off.

Jesse gripped his bag tightly, taking another deep breath before following him.

        “Look at all these restaurants! God I’m starving!,” Sombra exclaimed while walking past a row of restaurants.

“I am as well. We have plenty of time before the plane takes off. Let’s get some food,” Hanzo agreed.

For the first time that he could recall, Jesse was not hungry. The thought alone was making him feel sick, nevermind the variety of smells. He was so worked up, his body was about to revolt against him. Maybe he’d sit this one out…

“You should eat as well,” Hanzo softly said, nudging him in the arm.

Jesse glanced over at him, “I am not hungry.”

There was a small chuckle, “I thought you said you were always hungry.”

“Not today.” His response was a little more snippy than he had expected and he definitely caught Hanzo’s attention. As Sombra took off to some burger joint called Wahlburger’s, Hanzo grabbed Jesse’s arm, making him stop.

“What’s going on?,” Hanzo asked, his voice low but with slight irritation, “you’ve been acting strange since the cab ride.”

“I’m fine,” Jesse sighed.  
  
Hanzo pulled him in closer, “don’t make me use my powers to get in your head. There is no need to lie to me.”

“I ain’t lyin’!,” he yanked his arm out of his grasp and took a step back, “I’m just nervous, alright?”

Hanzo came right back up to him but the look on his face got softer. “We got through the hardest parts of this whole thing. There is nothing more to be nervous about.”

Jesse wanted to tell him about his fear of flying, how terrified he was of this whole thing. He really wanted to... but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Even if he knew Hanzo wouldn't judge him. “I know.”

Hanzo brought his face in closer, their eyes meeting, “keep your emotions in check. I can sense the demon stirring.”

Now that made him a little pissy. As Hanzo turned around to join Sombra, Jesse growled. He glanced back at him.

“If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure I told you this wasn't a good idea.”

Hanzo walked up to him, barely inches between them. “And I am sure I told you we have no other option.”

If he didn't know any better, Hanzo was just as pissed off as he was. Which in turn made him more mad. This whole thing wouldn't even be happening if Hanzo had just left him in the woods but then…

“Do you want to go back to him?,” Hanzo suddenly asked.

“What? Who, Gabe?” Was he… Jesse furrowed his brows and leaned his face in, “are you questioning my loyalty?”

“I am not-”

“Then don't fucking ask that,” he pulled back and looked away.

Were they having their first fight? The thought made him chuckle on the inside.

“Gomen,” Hanzo whispered.

He moved his eyes back to him. “And I don't need you to tell me when the demon is acting up. I am well aware. Trust me.”

Hanzo sighed and closed his eyes, nodding. “Gomen.”

As easy as it was to get mad at him, it was just as easy to let it go. “The demon is exactly why this isn't a good idea. I'm too much of a liability-”

“You're not-,” Hanzo started before stopping and sighing, “you're not a liability, Jesse. Plus, you really do underestimate me, don't you?”

“Huh?”

Hanzo smiled and leaned his face in beside his. “I have a tranquilizer in my pocket. You have nothing to worry about.” There was a quick kiss on his cheek before the vampire backed away, a grin on his face.

“H-how-,” Jesse was dumbfounded.

Hanzo winked at him before joining Sombra. Jesse just stared at him. This man…vampire… He had gotten all of them past security, got their weapons through security, _and_ managed to go through the full body scanner with a fucking tranquilizer in his pocket. Oh, and he was still covering up Jesse's scent somehow. Just how powerful was he again? It wasn't that he underestimated the guy, not at all. Hanzo just had greater powers and abilities than he thought...and he was incredibly smart. He was... amazing.

         After spending a couple minutes admiring Hanzo, Jesse joined them at a table. Sombra was already chowing down on some burger and fries with what looked like a milkshake. Hanzo was waiting for his food.

“Do you want something? Food? A drink?,” Hanzo asked.

His stomach rolled at the thought of food. But, he knew he should eat. Going hungry angered the demon for some reason.

“A Jack and Coke, definitely,” he answered, running a hand through his hair, “or just the whole bottle of Jack.”

Hanzo chuckled.

“Jess, they have a burger called the beast. It's got pulled pork on it. Or the triple decker…,” Sombra suggested.

While those sounded good, he knew he wouldn't be able to enjoy them. “I think just a regular, small burger will suffice,” he stated.

“You feeling okay?”

He chuckled, “just not hungry right now.”

“You're never not hungry-”

“It is alright, Sombra,” Hanzo cut her off before getting up, “I'm sure he'll eat a ton once we arrive in Seoul.”

Jesse laughed as Hanzo went up to a waitress.

“You sure you’re okay?,” Sombra asked, pulling his attention back to her.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just nervous.”

“Nervous? About what? We already got through security.”

“I know,” he sighed as he began playing with the wrapper from her straw, “just the whole thing is making me nervous.”

Thankfully Hanzo returned, placing a glass down in front of Jesse. Ah, sweet sweet alcohol. He immediately picked it up and took a sip. He then leaned back and looked up at the big screen TV. It was some replay of an earlier baseball game.

         He continued on his drink while watching the TV, his nerves slightly settling down. _Thank you, booze_. His burger showed up and he ate...sort of. He was able to force half of the burger down along with some french fries but that was about it. He had no problems finishing a second glass of Jack  & Coke, though. After they all finished, they headed to their gate. Sombra stopped at one of the little newshops and picked up some magazines and a soda. Hanzo bought some waters, handing one to Jesse. They then sat down at the gate. Now it was a waiting game.

         Vampires surrounded them. While Jesse was typically used to seeing vamps in public, he was never usually this up close and personal - unless he was killing them. There were single vampires, couples, families….with human children. He cursed under his breath and looked away. He would never understand the twisted minds of vampires. Just because he had taken a liking to Hanzo didn’t negate the fact that he _hated_ vampires. Especially when they were all eyeing him like candy… _Great_. He was going to be on a plane with these fuckers for what, 18-20 hours? Jesse’s anxiety came back. His legs began shaking, forcing him to get up and start pacing.

         Hanzo watched as Jesse walked back and forth. Something was definitely wrong. Was it because of all the vampires? He knew for a fact that they could not smell him so they had no way of knowing he was a werewolf. They probably thought he was a human. Either way, no one would touch him. Not with him by his side. With that thought aside, there was still something up with Jesse. It was more than him just being ‘nervous’. He could sense fear in him but fear of what? Fear that they would get caught? No, it wasn’t that.

“What’s his deal?,” Sombra suddenly asked, taking her headphones out. Apparently she had noticed as well.

“I am not sure,” he answered.

“In all my years of knowing Jesse, I have never seen him like this.”

“He stated he was nervous.”  
  
“Yeah, he gave me that bullshit too.”

Hanzo thought about it. If Sombra was saying this then... he cursed in Japanese. “Has he ever been on a plane before?”

She gasped and then got quiet as she thought about it. He remembered him saying he had been to Japan before, which meant he _had_ to fly unless for some bizarre reason he went via ship…

“For as long as I have known him, he has never flown. He would always drive to wherever he was going,” she finally stated.

“Hmm.” Strange, very strange indeed. “He has stated he’s been to Japan-”

She chuckled, “he must’ve been unconscious for the flight then.”

Unconscious. Good point…the change in pressure and air would definitely affect the demon. He chuckled to himself as he looked at Jesse. Big ol’ bad wolf is afraid of flying. He found it quite adorable, actually. He didn’t think there was anything he was afraid of...but here we are.

“What you gonna do?,” Sombra asked, disrupting his thoughts, making him glance at her.

He sighed. “There is not much I can do at the moment. It will have to wait until we are actually on the plane.”

She understood and offered her assistance for later. He wouldn’t need it, but it was appreciated. He looked back over at Jesse, who was appearing to be a little pale. Actually, the longer he studied him, the more he didn’t look well at all. Hanzo got up and made his way over to him.

        Jesse couldn't stop thinking about the flight. What if something happened to the plane? What if they crashed? What if they were taken over by terrorists? What if Gabe somehow knew they were here? What if the bubble he was in burst and all these damn vampires realized he was a werewolf? He was so distracted, he didn't even notice Hanzo until he walked into him.

“Shit, sorry,” he said, taking a step back.

Hanzo gave him the softest smile, “no worries. Come sit with us, they'll be loading the plane soon.”

“R-right,” he swallowed before following him back to the seats.

He sat down next to Hanzo and let out a deep breath. He began tapping his foot repeatedly as a way to hide the fact that his legs were still shaking. Could they just hurry up and get on the plane and get this over with? He cursed to himself. He had no idea how he was going to last nearly twenty four hours in the air. Suddenly his stomach felt like it exploded inside of him and he knew what was coming next… He bolted up and took off running, a hand covering his mouth as he tried to hold back from throwing up in the middle of the walkway.

       Everything he ate and drank came up. Perhaps alcohol hadn't been a wise decision. He leaned over the toilet, breathing heavy and sweating. Hell, he was so pathetic. Getting worked up over flying on a plane…so goddamn _pathetic_. Out of all the things he could be afraid of…

“Jesse, are you alright?”

Hanzo’s voice on the other side of the door had him standing up straight. Bloody hell…

“Never better,” he joked before opening the stall door.

“You look like shit.”

“Thanks, I’ve been trying out this new style-”

With a sigh, the vampire went up to the sink, grabbed some paper towels and wet them. Ignoring him, he joined Hanzo at his side and began washing his hands. _Go away, just go away_ . As much as he adored Hanzo for his constant concern for him, they _were_ in a public place and he was embarrassed enough already… Suddenly he felt the cold and wet towels on his forehead. He sighed, putting his face down, forcing Hanzo to stop.

“Talk to me,” he said softly, his hand coming up to the back of his head, fingers running through his hair.

Ohhh, that felt good. He placed his hands down on the sink and bit down on his lower lip, seconds away from breaking down and losing all control of himself.

“I don’t know-,” he started before an announcement came over the intercom system stating that they were beginning to board passengers.

_Shit shit shit_.

“Hey,” Hanzo grabbed hold of his arm with one hand while the other wiped his face with the paper towels as he turned to him. “Deep breath.”

For a moment he got lost in his eyes, briefly forgetting everything surrounding him.

“You’re afraid of flying, yes?”

Jesse froze, eyes going wide. “H-how did you-”

Hanzo smiled, “a matter of deduction.”

_Of course_.Of course he figured it out... He glanced at himself in the mirror. Dang, he did look like hell. He quickly splashed cold water on his face, grabbed a handful of paper towels and walked out of the bathroom with Hanzo at his side.

After standing in line for a good ten minutes or so then getting onto the plane and finding their seats, they were finally settled. Sombra managed to get three seats all together in one row. Jesse refused the window seat, which Sombra gladly took and now sat, headphones on while she played on her tablet. He also refused the aisle seat, not wanting to be any closer to other people than needed so he plopped his ass down in the middle. Taking a deep breath, he glanced around. There didn’t seem to be as many people as he thought on the flight. While that was a relief, he was still anxious as all hell.

“Breathe, Jesse,” Hanzo whispered, leaning his head in towards him.

“I’m tryin’,” he sighed.

One of the flight attendants started going over the plane details and safety procedures. Aw, hell. He leaned forwards, covering his ears. He couldn’t listen to that shit. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, exhaling slowly just as he felt a hand on his back. At first he thought it had been Hanzo but he could tell that the touch was different. He turned his head to find Sombra smiling at him.

“Esta bien,” she said. He sighed and sat back, running his hands through his hair before slapping himself on the cheeks. “Jess-.”

“I’m fine. I can do this,” he said after clearing his throat.

“You’ve been through worse things than flying on a plane.”  
  
He side-eyed her. “Thank you for the reminder.”

She laughed. “I never thought flying would be a fear for you.”

“I’m a goddamn wolf, I stay on the fucking ground.”

Another laugh from her along with a chuckle from his right. Oh, Hanzo found this funny too?

“Didn’t you say that you had been to Japan?,” Hanzo asked and he looked at him.

“Yeah. I’ve been to Italy, too.”

“How the hell have you gone places across the world and you’re still this scared of flying?”

“Because I was passed out cold the entire time. Tranqs, darlin’. They’re terrific for things like this.”

“Told you,” Sombra laughed.

“Unbelievable,” Hanzo sighed.

“What? Gabe has his own personal plane. So doesn’t Nightfall. One tranq and I was out like a light.” He didn’t understand why this was so strange to them.  
  
“Well, we cannot use a tranq this time around unless absolutely necessary, I apologize.”

“I’m aware. Why do you think I’m freakin’ out?”

Just then, the plane started moving. He gripped the armrests.

“Your ears might pop,” Sombra informed him while shoving some gum into her mouth.

With a sigh, he put his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. He had always been unconscious long before even getting _onto_ the plane. This was the first time ever he was awake for an actual flight.

“It’s going to be okay,” Hanzo said softly.

“You keep saying that,” Jesse replied, not moving a muscle.

He chuckled, “because it is true.”

He sighed. “I hate you so much for this.”

There was another chuckle. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

Cracking an eye, he looked at him. “You better.”

“You two are so gross,” Sombra muttered before putting her headphones back on.

He had started to laugh but it was short-lived as the sounds of the plane got louder while it picked up speed.

“Breathe.” Hanzo’s voice was soothing, but it wasn’t enough. He was trembling, his hands gripping the armrests so hard his knuckles were white. The demon inside of him was stirring and that made him ten times more nervous...and scared. The noises of the plane got louder and then he felt it...they were lifting off the ground...

“Oh dear sweet baby Jesus.” He closed his eyes tight, the air disappearing from his lungs. Then out of nowhere, Hanzo’s hand covered his. _So warm_ . He let go of the armrest and flipped his hand over so that their fingers could interlock. And then he gripped his hand _hard_.

“I can put you to sleep if you want,” Hanzo suggested.

He grumbled, “no, I need to go through with this.”

Hanzo smiled before bringing his hand up to his lips and placing a soft kiss. He could feel the fear in Jesse’s body. It was nearly consuming him. He was never going to make it like this… Hanzo closed his eyes and concentrated, allowing his power to take some of the negative energy from Jesse.

“H-han-”

He smiled again as the wolf opened his eyes and looked at him, a little bit of shock and confusion in his expression. Hanzo leaned his head in closer to him.  
  
“You will be just fine,” Hanzo stated.

It seemed to take him a few moments to comprehend what just happened. “I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head, “it’s no matter. You should’ve just told me you were afraid.”

There was a small chuckle, “like I would admit I was afraid of something.”

Hanzo laughed before bringing his hand back up to his lips and kissing. “I will not judge you.”

“I know,” he sighed and looked away, “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. I am just glad that you are here with me.”

Jesse raised an eyebrow. “I should be the one saying that.”

“Hmm, I suppose. But I would not be here without you. It is very possible I would be dead right now had I gone to speak with Gabriel.”

“Heh. I doubt that.”

“You do not know-”  
  
“Darlin’, trust me. I know Gabe and what I know so far, from what I’ve seen and experienced with your powers, you would beat the shit out of him.”

He laughed, “perhaps. But I would rather not fight him.”

“Like, ever?”

“Yes. I know that there will likely come a time where I will need to but I have no desire. Maximilien on the other hand…”

Jesse sighed and glanced away. “Yeah, that bastard is ruining everything.”

“And it will only get worse.” Hanzo paused for a moment and then smiled. “The good news is that you survived take off.”

Jesse pulled away from seat, letting go of his hand and looked around, surprised. “Wait, what? Really?”

“Yes,” Hanzo answered with a laugh.

With a grumble, Jesse plopped back. “And we have how many hours on this damn thing?”

“Umm,” he glanced down at his watch, “total flight time is about seventeen and a half hours, so I’ll say around 18.” A long, drawn out curse left the cowboy’s mouth. Hanzo laughed. “Now do you want me to put you to sleep?”

“No,” he sighed, “I really should stay awake so that I don’t shift.”

Hanzo couldn’t argue with that even though he wished Jesse would get some rest, his body needed it after putting it through all that stress.

“So now we just sit here?,” Jesse asked, sounding annoyed.

“Basically. Most people sleep, especially on the longer flights.”

He sighed and grumbled at the same time. Hanzo couldn’t help but find this amusing. Jesse was in an environment he wasn’t used to and it was letting Hanzo see more of his personality.

“We could watch a movie,” he suggested.

“Meh.”

“We could attempt to have sex in the bathroom...even though, there’s not a whole lot of space-”

“Oh my God, Hanzo.”

He began laughing. “I’m trying to think of things to entertain you.”

Jesse turned his head towards him and their eyes met. “We could just…,” he paused for a moment, “talk.”

“Sure,” Hanzo smiled, “where shall we begin?”

“I dunno, darlin’. You pick a topic.”

He thought about it and the one question that he had been wondering about but wasn’t going to ask came to mind… “when I brought you back to my cabin after finding you in the woods, I found that picture of me in your jeans’ pocket-”

“Ohhhh, lordy. You’re bringing _that_ up?,” Jesse asked, grumbling at first but then chuckling.

“I am curious as to why you had it.”

“It was from your case file.”

“So you kept it?”

“The file? No. The photo? Yes.”

He laughed, “why?” He could see a slight blush beginning to form on the cowboy’s cheeks.

Jesse shrugged, “I found you real pretty, darlin’.”

He could feel his own cheeks getting warm.

“You're much prettier in person, though,” the wolf added.

Now he was _definitely_ blushing along with Jesse.

“You're quite handsome, yourself,” he said as he leaned in, his lips barely an inch from the cowboy’s. “You remember that first night?”

“Mmm, how could I forget? The night of my life, so you said.”

“Was it?”

“It wasn't bad,” he answered.

“Tch,” he clicked his tongue and pulled back.

“Aw come on, darlin. You know I’m just playin’. Of course it was.”

“Hmph.”

He turned his face away from him and crossed his arms against his chest. He threw in a pout just to be over-dramatic.

Jesse couldn't help but laugh. “Darlin’.”

He forced himself to not look at him.

“Daaaarlin’.” He had to hold in his laugh. Suddenly Jesse leaned in, his lips brushing up against his ear. “That night, you gave me the best goddamn sex I’ve ever had. I want more nights like that with you.”

_Ah, hell_. He moved his face towards him, reached up and took hold of Jesse’s face and then planted his mouth on his. Jesse didn’t hesitate to kiss back.

“As do I,” Hanzo whispered.

“Mmm.”

They kissed again.

“You sure you do not want to go to the bathroom?”

Jesse laughed, “are we really that sleazy?”

Now that made him laugh, “I suppose not.”

They kissed once more before pulling apart as there was a ‘ding’ from the plane and then an announcement that they were going to distribute snacks and drinks.

         Hanzo ordered himself an alcoholic beverage while Jesse just got an ice water. They then fell into conversation about their lives. Jesse had wanted to talk, saying he wanted to know more about him so Hanzo gave him what he wanted...in return for Jesse telling him more about himself, how he dealt with the demon, and what his relationship with Gabriel exactly was. Whenever the wolf talked about the other vampire, Hanzo could sense an admiration, a respect for him. Regardless of what Jesse said about Gabriel, that vampire held a special spot in Jesse's life. That made Hanzo a little nervous but it wasn't enough to be concerned. He knew Jesse wasn't going anywhere and that his loyalty laid with him, not Gabriel. But it definitely made Hanzo curious, wanting to know more, wanting to get into Jesse's head again. How did Gabriel even come into his life? Why did he make Jesse his guardian, and what happened with that? Was it in fact Gabriel who infected Jesse with the demon blood? If so, how was Jesse going to react to that? So many questions…

“So who's this friend of yours?,” Jesse suddenly asked.

Hanzo smiled, “I'm surprised you waited this long to ask.”

“Trust me, I’ve been wanting to know for awhile. I just didn’t want to be nosey.”

He laughed, “silly. You are allowed to know.” He finished his drink. “Her name is Hana, she is a fellow vampire that I ran into a few years ago while on a mission in South Korea. She was turned at a young age so don’t be startled-”  
“Young as in…?”

“I believe she was around 19 when it happened.”

Jesse cursed, “sad.”

“Hai. But I think you will like her. She is an engineer and a computer techie-”  
“Sombra will _love_ her then.”

“Indeed. She’s also a pilot for South Korea’s MEKA program.”

“No shit.”

          Apparently Jesse had heard of the program so he didn’t need to explain. He wasn’t surprised. After all, Jesse had been around the block a few times and he knew an immense amount of information. However, what he didn’t know was that Hana was also in charge of Nightfall’s Seoul Division. This little detail was something Hanzo left out. With Jesse getting all worked up about the flight, he didn’t want to add to it. He knew he was going to be pissed he didn’t tell him. But he wanted this flight to go as smoothly as possible and figured he’d deal with the repercussions afterwards. Honestly, Jesse had nothing to be upset about. Hana didn’t run the Division the same way as the others. Hell, the majority of the population didn’t even know a Seoul Division existed. Jesse’s secret, as well as his own, were safe with her and her crew.

          Suddenly he felt a weight on his shoulder and glanced down to find Jesse’s head resting there, eyes closed. He smiled for a brief second before all he could smell was Jesse’s blood. He felt like he was drowning in it. _Shit_. He looked away and tried to take a deep breath. The desire to bite him right then and there was nearly consuming him. Oh this was bad. Very, very bad. He hadn’t drank any blood before they left, making it quite some time since he had some. Which meant he was now running the risk of blood lust hitting him. He glanced back down at Jesse, who was sound asleep. As much as he wanted a taste, he couldn’t do that to him, nor should he be doing that type of thing on a damn airplane. He would have to control it, at least until they arrived in Seoul and at Hana’s place. He put his head back and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing. Only a few more hours…

 

         Gabe stared at the burning house, fuming much like the fire in front of him. They were too late. His wolf and hacker were gone, having been brainwashed by that goddamn vampire.

“Gabriel.”

He glared at Moira, who was standing beside him along with Amelie and Akande. “If you're going to tell me the obvious, just keep your mouth shut.”

She huffed. “I _was_ going to say that we can try going through the house once the fire goes out to see if we can find anything.”

“There won't be anything left. That _fucking_ vampire-”

“Is quite intelligent,” she snickered, knowing it was going to piss him off even more.

“Max is gonna be upset,” Akande joined in.

“No shit!,” Gabe yelled before screaming out in frustration, his body shaking with anger.

“They couldn't have gone far,” Moira ignored his fit.

“For all we know, they're on a plane out of the country,” Amelie finally spoke up.

Gabe looked at her. If they left the country, catching Hanzo was going to be even harder. But…it wasn't impossible. He grinned as he knew what he had to do.

“Let it burn,” he stated, “just like their hopes of getting away.”

He turned on his heel and headed back to his mansion. He was going to make Jesse regret his decision to join up with that vampire - one way or another.


	20. Chapter 20

        Jack picked up his cell phone and immediately dialed Angela. He only had a little bit of time before Gabe came back. 

_ “Jack?! What the hell is going on?!” _

He sighed, “listen. I don’t have much time. Gabe is holding me hostage,” he paused, “for the most part. I won’t be coming back anytime soon. He knows about Genji and whatever he’s currently involved with is extremely messy. You need to get out of there-”

_ “What? What do you mean get out of here?” _

“You need to leave!,” he raised his voice before taking a breath, trying to calm down, “you need to leave and bring Genji. Hell, take Rein with you for protection. I don’t want you guys getting mixed up in this and you’re probably his next target.”

Angela cursed and then sighed, but didn’t say anything. 

“Trust me, Ange. Whatever is about to go down is  _ big _ .”

_ “Where am I supposed to go, Jack?” _

He thought about it for a second, “go where Ana’s daughter currently is.”

_ “Seoul?!” _

“Yeah. No one really even knows they exist. Gabe sure doesn’t. Go there. Leave as soon as you can,” he paused and glanced at the door, “like...now.”

There was a long, drawn out silence before Angela said anything.  _ “What about you, Jack?” _

“I will be fine.”

_ “Jack-” _

“Trust me. Get Rein and leave with Genji. I will be in touch.”

He disconnected the call before she could argue any further. Sighing, he put the phone away and looked down at the floor as he sat on the edge of the bed. He had no idea what exactly Gabe was up to but the one thing he knew for sure was that he wasn’t going to allow him to bring any harm to Angela. He had an inkling that he had something to do with Genji’s injuries so the best thing for any of them was to get the hell out of there and hide out for a bit.

        Hanzo ran his fingers through Jesse's hair in an attempt to wake him up as calmly as possible. 

“Jesse,” he said softly, repeating his name a couple times with no response from the wolf.  People were leaving the plane and they really needed to get their assess going. 

“JESSE!!,” Sombra suddenly yelled and the wolf's eyes snapped open, his body jolting in the seat. 

Hanzo sighed.  _ Thanks, Sombra _ . 

“Wha-,” Jesse looked around in confusion, “what's going on?”

“We've landed, we need to get off the plane,” Hanzo advised before standing up, grabbing his bag as well as Jesse's. 

“What? Really? Already?” 

He laughed, “yes. Come on.” 

He was a little sluggish at first but soon followed him off of the plane. 

As they walked through the gate, Hanzo glanced at him. “How are you feeling?,” he asked. 

He was still sort of out it, “exhausted.” 

“Well, we made it. You survived flying on a plane.” 

Jesse turned his head to look at him and grinned a little. “Thank you.” 

Hanzo smiled and tried to cover up the fact that he wasn’t feeling well. He really needed blood but it wasn’t as though he could bite Jesse, or anyone else, right then and there. He had a bit more decency than that.  “Once we arrive at Hana's place, we'll get some food and a hot shower.” 

“Mmmm,” Jesse hummed, “a hot shower sounds splendid.” 

It sure did, as well as feeling his warm blood flow down his throat...

        After making a pit stop at the restroom and getting some coffee from one of the little shops, they hailed a cab. During the ride, Hanzo advised Sombra and Jesse of the security detail at Hana’s place. Last time he had been there (which was years ago), there had been a ton of security - as there should be considering they were Nightfall - something he still hadn’t mentioned. He knew without a doubt that Jesse was going to be pissed but there was nothing he could do about it. It was too late to say anything now. Glancing at the cowboy, who was taking in all the new sights with his forehead pressed up against the window, Hanzo cursed to himself. This man had sacrificed everything to stay with him and protect his pathetic ass - and here he was, betraying that trust he had gained. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was beginning to get a headache, likely due to the lack of blood and stress. He had to hold off...just a little while longer...

        The cab pulled over and stopped in front of a tall building. As Jesse got out and looked up, it oddly reminded him of the Nightfall building in New York. Looked like an office building on the outside but on the inside - something entirely different. He took a deep breath before following Hanzo, Sombra at his side. 

“You're nervous, aren't you?,” she suddenly asked on a whisper. 

“You're not? We don't know what we're walking into,” he replied with no hesitation. He trusted Hanzo, but he didn’t know Hana or anyone else in this area and certainly didn’t trust being in a new place with new people.

Sombra shrugged as he glanced down at her. “But you trust Hanzo, yeah? I mean, I do. He wouldn't take us all the way here just for an ambush.” 

“It's not him I'm concerned about,” he said. 

They made eye contact and she nodded, understanding what he was getting at. Sombra, being a vampire didn't have much to worry about. Jesse, on the other hand…had plenty. Werewolves stayed away from vampires for the most part unless they were taken in as a guardian. There had always been an internal conflict between the two species. With there being more vampires than wolves, the vampires outnumbered them therefore ‘winning’, so to speak. Meeting new vampires was always nerve racking and slightly dangerous for him. Even with Hanzo by his side, he was still nervous. What if he  _ was _ walking into a trap??

        They entered the building and walked up to a large desk in the lobby. Security guards flanked the desk, as well as the hallway entrances and doorways to the right and left. Jesse took a deep breath.

“I'm here to see Hana,” Hanzo informed to the receptionist, who nodded and picked up the phone. 

“Some guy is here to see you,” she stated on the phone, not taking her eyes off of them. After a long pause, she moved the phone away from her mouth, “name?” 

“Tell her it's an old friend from Japan,” Hanzo answered. 

The receptionist repeated what he said through the phone and then nodded, putting the receiver down. “You are clear to go,” she then pointed to her left towards a hallway, “floor 15. She'll meet you.” 

Hanzo smiled, nodded and then said something in Korean. Jesse could only assume it was ‘thank you’. They then made their way to the elevator, the security guards’ eyes following them. 

Once in the elevator, Jesse let out another heavy breath and ran a hand through his hair.

“You're my guardian, do not worry,” Hanzo said in response. 

He looked at him. “Yeah, I know. Still makes me nervous.” 

“It's going to be fine. She's going to love you.” 

That comment made him snort. He wanted to make a smartass reply but kept his mouth shut. He straightened his shirt instead before the elevator doors opened. 

 

       “Haaaanzo!!” 

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, a short, petite, brown haired girl came running up to Hanzo. She jumped up, his arms catching her as she gave him quite the hug. Jesse raised an eyebrow in surprise while Hanzo held her tight as if they had been long lost relatives or something.

“It's so good to see you!,” Hana exclaimed as he put her down. She had the biggest smile on her face, as did Hanzo. 

“Indeed,” he replied, “I apologize for the abrupt appearance.” 

She waved a hand, “stop that. I told you that you were always welcome here.” She glanced at Jesse and Sombra. “And you brought friends!”

“Yes-,” Hanzo started before Hana walked up to Jesse, leaned in and began sniffing.

“A werewolf, even.”

Jesse’s body stiffened as she stared at him, sizing him up. Guess he wasn’t in his bubble anymore. That explained the looks from the security guards.

“He's my-,” Hanzo started before she cut him off….again.

“Wait! I know you!,” her voice grew louder as a smile formed on her face, “you're Jesse McCree!” 

Jesse side-eyed Hanzo for a second, wondering how the hell she knew him. Hanzo shook his head and shrugged - apparently he had no idea, either. He really shouldn’t be surprised, he supposed. It wasn’t like he was unknown, the media boasting him as the ‘best vampire hunter around’. Just didn't think that info traveled across the globe...

“You look different...” her voice trailed off as her eyes wandered all over his body.

He smiled a little, “it's cuz I ain't wearin’ my hat.” 

“Ohhh! Right!,” she laughed a little before looking over at Hanzo. “You made friends with  _ the _ Jesse McCree?! I am shocked!” 

“Well, he's actually my guardian,” Hanzo said proudly. 

Her smile faded for a moment and eyes went wide. “What?! Really?!” 

“Mmhmm,” Jesse replied, pulling the top of his t-shirt down to show her the mark on his chest. 

She gasped. “Hanzo...I can’t believe it! You said you’d never take a guardian!” 

Hanzo laughed, his cheeks getting red. “A lot has happened the past few days.” 

“I guess so!” She then looked towards Sombra. “And you are?” 

“Name's Sombra,” she held out her hand which Hana gladly took. 

There was another gasp. “Is that the new Samsung tablet?” 

“Oh,” Sombra glanced down at the tablet she was holding, “yes.” 

The two girls then started talking tech. Jesse rolled his eyes before nudging Hanzo, who nodded at him. Now that the introductions were done, they needed to get to the point.

“Hana,” Hanzo interjected, “we are here on important business.” 

“Oh! Right!,” Hana turned to him, her face going serious, “the feds are out for you. Have you come here to hide out?” 

He cleared his throat, “in a sense, yes.” 

“Then you came to the right place! Come! I have plenty of open rooms and you know you are more than welcome to stay as long as needed. Hell, just move here!”

        Jesse took a deep breath, watching as Hana turned and they began following her down the hallway to the only door on the floor. She was quite hyper - probably because of her age, well, what her age  _ had _ been when she was turned. She was a cute girl and seeing how Hanzo interacted with her was even cuter. He smiled to himself as he looked at Hanzo and then something caught his eye. Wait a second...  _ Was that… _ He stared at the symbol on the wall next to the door. He’d recognize that symbol anywhere...considering he’d seen it  _ every _ day for the past  _ ten years _ ! His nervousness from earlier changed into anger as he eyed Hanzo. 

“What the hell is this?,” he asked, pointing to the symbol.

“Jess-,” Hanzo began.

“I am guessing that you were not made aware that this is a Nightfall facility,” Hana stepped up to him and he glanced down at her for a moment before going back to Hanzo.

“Do you realize what you’ve done?!,” he yelled.

“Jesse,” Sombra tried to interject.

“So this was a goddamn trap the entire fucking time!,” he grabbed a hold of Hanzo’s shirt and then shoved him up against the wall.  
  
“Whoa there, cowboy,” Hana said before placing a hand on his shoulder and pushing him back with a surprising amount of strength. “I’m pretty sure guardians are not supposed to attack their wards. And I’m fairly certain you have the wrong idea about me and my facility.”

Jesse looked at her, “ _ your  _ facility?”

“Yes, sir. This is my building, my team, my division. I run it the way I want to, not like all the other Nightfall Divisions. I bet you didn’t even know there was a Seoul location.”

That took him by surprise and he let go of Hanzo, but he wasn’t done with him yet. “That’s great,” Jesse stated, “however, the whole point of coming here was so that no one would know where we are, primarily  _ me _ .”

“I can assure you that your presence here will remain a secret and unrevealed to other Nightfall locations. Including New York.”

“You cannot guarantee that.”  
  
She furrowed her brows. “Like hell I can’t.”

He stood there, contemplating about turning around and running straight out of that building. 

“Jesse, I am sorry I did not tell you,” Hanzo finally spoke up.

He refused to look at him, glancing down the hallway instead. His body temp was rising along with his anger, which could only mean one thing...

“I am aware of Hanzo’s situation,” Hana stated, “and if he has taken you as his guardian then this must be more serious than I first assumed. You are all safe here so please do not worry. I know you must be exhausted and possibly hungry. Let’s head in and I will show you the rooms I have available.”

“Let’s go, Jesse,” Sombra nudged him in the arm as Hana opened the door and Hanzo followed her in.

He shook his head, “I don’t know about this, Som.”

She turned to face him and whispered, “what other choice do we have right now? We’re in freakin’ South Korea, Jess. We’re nowhere near home.”

“I  _ know  _ that,” he grumbled.

“We also don’t know how many enemies we have here. I haven’t finished my research.”

By ‘enemies’, she meant vampires...among other creatures, but mostly vamps. 

“Come on, you’re tired, I’m tired,” she paused, “and hungry. And I want a bath.”

He sighed. She had a point, he supposed. He looked ahead and saw that Hanzo had stopped walking, along with Hana. He was looking back at him, a slight desperation in his eyes. “Fine. Let’s go.”

        He walked through the doorway and joined Hanzo’s side but refused to make eye contact with him. Not even ten seconds later and another short, brown-haired, petite female vampire came running up to them with a huge grin on her face.

“Hiya!,” she greeted them, waving.

Sombra cheerfully replied, Hanzo muttered a hello, and Jesse remained silent. He wasn’t in the mood for friendly banter.

“Lena, can you go have some food done up for our guests?,” Hana asked. 

The girl named Lena nodded. “Any preference?” 

Hana made a quick glance at Hanzo. “Ramen, please.” 

Lena nodded and then sprinted off. 

“It will take some time for it to cook and I’m sure you guys want to shower and stuff. I’ll show you the best rooms I have,” Hana advised before leading them down another hallway,

        Since Jesse was so pissed off, he was able to focus a little better with what little energy he had left. One thing he noticed was that there were security cameras nearly  _ everywhere _ . Typical of a Nightfall facility. There weren’t a whole lot of people around which meant some could be out on missions or in their own chambers, or doing other things like training. Hmm...now that he thought about it, he never did hear Jack mention anything about a Seoul location. There were Nightfall facilities all over the world. London was their biggest with the Rio de Janeiro and New York offices tied for second. Plus there were locations in Italy, China, Germany, Spain, Japan, Sydney Australia, and a couple smaller ones scattered across the US and Canada. He wondered if there were other locations that were unknown...

        They ended up going into a second elevator and then down a long hall which had several doors on either side. It was just like the rooms back home… The thought itself reignited Jesse’s anger. How could Hanzo keep this from him?! There wasn’t something small - this was a  _ huge _ deal! As soon as they were alone, he was going to give him a piece of his mind, and maybe a fist to the face…

“This floor is mostly empty. That room,” Hana pointed to a door that was closest to the elevator belongs to Fareeha-”

Jesse froze, eyes wide. “W-who?” The question came out before he could stop it.

“One of my best recruits, Fareeha Amari.”

No freakin’ way… “You're kiddin’ me, right?” 

“I take it you know her?” Of course he knew her… “Ah, yes, now I remember,” Hana continued, “she lived with you and that asshole Gabriel Reyes for awhile, yes?” 

Why… why the hell was Fareeha here?! Memories flooded his mind, primarily about Fareeha's mother, Ana. And the anger inside him rose even more. He would have to chat with Fareeha later…

“Just show us our rooms,” he snarled.

Hanzo's eyes met his for a brief moment before he quickly looked away. He had  _ no _ patience for him right now.. 

“These three rooms are the best ones I have,” Hana pointed to the doors, “will you two be sharing a room?”

“Yes,” Hanzo immediately answered. 

What if he didn't want to share a room? What if he wanted his own goddamn space? Jesse was fuming…

“I'll take the one across the hall from them,” Sombra said with a smile. 

“Alright, well that's settled. You guys go make yourselves at home. Food should be ready in about thirty, go to the dining hall on floor 18.”

“Thank you,” Hanzo said, bowing to her. 

She bowed and then left.

“You two going to be okay by yourselves?,” Sombra asked, a little weary. 

“We're fine,” Jesse answered. 

She eyed him, hesitant. 

“We will be alright,” Hanzo said.

“Ooookay. I'll meet you guys in thirty.”

Hanzo nodded and with one last look at Jesse, she went into her room.

        As soon as the door closed, Jesse grabbed Hanzo by the shirt again and shoved him up against the wall. 

“What the  _ fuck _ were you thinking?!,” he yelled in his face.

“We had no other place to go!,” Hanzo yelled back, “just because it’s a Nightfall facility doesn’t mean we are not safe!”

Jesse shook his head as he felt the demon stirring inside of him. Anger was his number one trigger and boy was he angry…

“If word gets out that I’m here, Jack will find out which means Gabe will find out and this whole fucking thing will have been pointless! Are you out of your fuckin’ mind?!”

“Jesse, calm down-”

“Calm down?! How can I do that when you’ve jeopardized  _ everything _ ?!”

“I have not!”

Jesse was so pissed off and so distracted that he wasn’t paying attention to Hanzo’s movements. Next thing he knew, he was flat on his back in the middle of the hallway, the wind knocked out of him. He hadn’t been expecting that and he had kinda forgotten just how strong Hanzo was. However, it didn’t lessen his anger any. If anything, it just made it even worse.

“I had my reasons for not telling you,” Hanzo flatly said before turning and heading into the room.

“Had your reasons?!,” Jesse yelled back, hopping up and going after him.

Hanzo was putting his bag down on the bed as he came into the room after slamming the door shut behind him. 

“I cannot believe you right now, actin’ like this is no big deal.”

The vampire turned to him and he immediately noticed that he was little bit pale. Well, paler than normal. He didn’t look so hot at all, kind of how he looked earlier when they got off the plane. Was he not feeling well? Was something wrong?

“This isn’t a big deal, Jesse-”

He brushed all concern aside as he growled, losing all control of himself while he charged towards Hanzo, hands clenched in fists. 

        Hanzo knew this was coming however, he hadn’t expected Jesse to be  _ this  _ upset. He could sense the demon waking up inside of him. This was bad, very bad. With him on the verge of blood lust and now Jesse about to lose control of his demon...it was an incredibly terrible situation for the both of them. Quickly, he put a hand up, catching Jesse’s fist before it plowed into his face. Another growl came from the wolf. It was much deeper, darker…  _ Fuck _ . He needed to get him to calm down before that demon came out. They couldn’t have that happen, not here, not unprepared. But he didn’t have time to worry about that. Jesse’s other arm came up swinging, fist heading straight for his face. He responded by grabbing hold of his arm mid-air, twisting it and then turning him around, arm behind his back before shoving him face first into the nearest wall.

“I will not fight you,” Hanzo stated, “neither one of us are in the condition to fight right now.”

“Fuck you!,” Jesse spat, turning his head to the side, trying to look at him. “You ruined everything!” 

To Hanzo’s surprise, he shifted into wolf form, breaking free of his grasp. Thankfully, it wasn’t the demon form but he knew it was only a matter of time before he came out… Jesse turned around and was now facing him, making him take a step back. He glanced to his right side, where the bed was. His hoodie was there, with the tranquilizer in the front pocket. He's going to need that... As soon as his eyes were off of Jesse, the wolf lunged at him. He fell to the floor as he lost his balance and Jesse fell right with him, shifting back to human form.

“How could you do this to me?!,” he yelled as he pinned him. “Why did you lie to me?!” 

"I didn't lie-”  Hanzo tried to quickly move his head but it was too late. A fist met his left eye.  _ Son of a bitch _ .

“Bringing us here will alert all the other locations! All of this will have been for  _ nothing _ !,” Jesse yelled, laying it on him with more punches. 

With Jesse attacking him like this, it left Hanzo’s arms free and he was able to cross them in front of his face in defense, which seemed to only piss Jesse off more as he  began growling. 

“Jesse, stop-”

“You're just like the rest of them! You vampires are all the fucking same!,” Jesse cut him off. 

Hanzo bit his tongue to keep from responding and fueling the fire. 

“I knew I couldn't trust you! You're just like Gabe!”

Aaaand now he was pissed.  _ Really  _ pissed. He grabbed one of his arms, preventing another punch. 

“Don't fucking compare me to him!,” he yelled back, “I am _ nothing _ like him!” 

“Bullshit! You're all the same selfish pieces of shit!” 

        That's it. If he wanted a fight, he was going to get one. And this was going to get nasty. Still holding onto his arm, he raised his other and drove his elbow into his head with enough force to knock him back. The smell of blood filled the air, making Hanzo come to a sudden stop. His throat felt like it was starting to close in on itself, his mouth going dry. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. A wave of dizziness hit him and he knew - he was moments away from losing his control. He slowly sat up to find Jesse sitting, his hand going to his temple which had been split open. Hanzo's pulse picked up, his eyes glued to the blood that was dripping down over his face. He was so fixated on it that he didn't notice Jesse coming after him again. 

        “I trusted you! I believed in you!!,” Jesse yelled, pushing Hanzo back down onto the floor.  He was so angry and frustrated that he had started crying. Holding Hanzo’s arms down, he leaned over him.  “Why?! Why would you do this to me?!,” he asked, watching as blood and tears dripped onto Hanzo's chest.

“You...you need to get away from me,” Hanzo said through gritted teeth, “right...now.”

“Wha-”

He moved his eyes to Hanzo's, which were now an icy blue. He had only seen his eyes this color once, when they were in the forest confronting Gabe. At that time, it had meant he was gathering his power and was about to use it. But right now, it meant something entirely different. He had been around enough blood-lusted vampires to know the symptoms. And it was about to hit Hanzo.  _ Shit _ . That’s why he hadn’t looked so well...

“Get out of here!!,” Hanzo then yelled, struggling against his grasp.

Jesse gasped a little and immediately let go, but couldn’t move. He was too stunned even as Hanzo began growling a bit. 

“T-take my blood,” he demanded, his voice low.

“No. You need to go... _ now _ .”

“Just take my fucking blood!,” he yelled.

        He watched as Hanzo threw his head back, eyes closing. In all reality, he  _ should _ get the fuck out of there...get Hana who maybe can help. But at the same time, he was his guardian. He should be the one to help him, to protect him...

“JESSE!!,” Hanzo cried out seconds before he dematerialized right out from underneath him. 

As he was about to get up and leave, Hanzo landed on top of him from out of nowhere, knocking him down onto the floor. He was held there and before he could even  _ think  _ of a way out, Hanzo latched onto his neck. A vicious cry left his mouth as fangs dug into him. It was too late...


	21. Chapter 21

        Hanzo’s grip was so goddamn strong, all Jesse could do was lay there and stare up at the ceiling. This was his fault. He should have made sure Hanzo drank before they left for the flight. They were all so caught up with everything, he hadn’t even thought about it. Really though, he shouldn’t be surprised. This was bound to happen at some point. He couldn’t even be mad at Hanzo for it. He had warned him but his stubborn ass remained in the room...

        Fuck, his head hurt. He was still bleeding from the temple where Hanzo elbowed him, giving him an instant headache. He closed his eyes, not able to ignore the pulling on his neck. Unlike all the other times Hanzo had taken his blood, this time was not gentle or pleasant. God, what a fucking mess. Nothing good had happened since they arrived here and Jesse feared it was going to continue that way...especially if Hanzo didn’t let up. If he kept going at the pace he currently was, he was going to drain him dry. Bloodlust was unpredictable. After a vampire consumed some blood, he (or she) could regain control and realize what they were doing, therefore stopping before claiming their donor’s life. That was rare though. He had only seen it happen maybe once or twice. Usually, the vampire was so far gone that they either never recovered or they recovered only after they took the life and their hunger was finally satiated. He had no idea how Hanzo was going to be. By the feel of it, he was probably going to take his life.

        Jesse knew he could get out of this situation but that required allowing the demon to surface. He wasn’t ready for that. He was trying to keep the demon inside as it was. However, his buddy knew something was up and whenever there was serious danger, he would always try to come out to protect him. That was the one good thing about the demon. He was a fail-safe. But he risked killing Hanzo if the demon came out and he couldn't do that.

_I had my reasons_ . Hanzo’s words came to mind. He tried to think about it from Hanzo’s point of view. Why would he withhold this information from him? Was it because he had been so nervous and anxious about the flight? Did he not want to add to that? _Probably_ , he thought. Hanzo knew that he was going to get upset and if he had told him before the flight, he wouldn’t have left with them. Jesse sighed and glanced down at Hanzo’s head. Other than this very moment, Hanzo knew what he was doing. He knew coming here was their safest option. Everything Hanzo had done up until this point was to protect them all. With another sigh, he closed his eyes. He never should have doubted him. Hanzo had no reason to betray him, especially after making him his guardian.

        Fuck. He was starting to get light headed and there was no sign of Hanzo letting up, even if he had let go of his arms. This was only going to get worse. He wanted to stop him but it was too dangerous. So, he needed to accept that this was it. It wasn't the worst way to go, he supposed. Die at the hands of the person he loved? Wait...did he just say that? He sure did and he couldn't deny it anymore. He _loved_ Hanzo. Was _in_ love with him. He wanted to be with him for years to come, wanted to protect him, and give him everything he could ever want. Cursing, he brought his arm up around Hanzo. The things he had said earlier had been downright mean and uncalled for. And now he felt like an asshole for it. 

“I'm so sorry,” he muttered.

Hanzo paused for a moment but then went right back to drinking. He put his head back and closed his eyes as he began feeling woozy, the room spinning around him. As a last ditch effort, he hollered for Sombra, hoping that maybe, just maybe she would hear him all the way from her room. Doubtful, but worth a shot.

        He began to lose feeling in his hands and feet. This was it. The beginning of the end… Soon he couldn't feel anything. No pain, no pull at his neck, nothing. He couldn't hear or see anything. It was like a black void. The world around him was fading, much like his life. What a way to go. At least he experienced actual love for the first (and last) time. His mind started going back to the better memories of Hanzo. The last thought he had was that moment he woke up from the full moon shift, laying next to Hanzo and then the vampire gave him the most tender kiss he had ever received. _I love you_ …

 

        Sombra would’ve sworn she heard someone call for her. On a hunch, she stopped at the door that was Jesse and Hanzo’s room before heading to the elevator.

“Guys,” she knocked on the door, “we’re late.”

No response. Did they leave without her? She knocked again. Nothing. Cursing, she inhaled deeply, about to let out a long sigh - and then she smelled it. Blood. _Jesse’s_ blood. His blood had a very distinct scent and for some reason, it seemed like the air was full of it. _Please don’t be having some weird-ass kind of kinky sex,_ she thought before she pushed the door open and then froze at the sight. Hanzo was on top of Jesse, his face at his neck. The smell of Jesse’s blood was intensely stronger even though she couldn’t see it. As she took a closer look, she realized that something was wrong. Very fucking wrong.   
  
“Jess!!,” she yelled as she ran into the room. “JESSE!!”

As expected, he didn’t respond. Neither did Hanzo. _Oh hell_ . She tried pulling Hanzo off of him but he wouldn’t budge.  
  
“Hanzo! Stop!! You’re killing him!!,” she shouted as the tears came while she still tried to pry the stronger vampire away. _Come on, Som!_ With desperation, she latched onto Hanzo’s shoulder with her teeth and bit down as hard as she could. She felt him let up slightly. Using that to her advantage, she was finally able to pull him off of Jesse, shoving him aside. With a curse, she ripped her shirt off and put it up against Jesse’s now torn-up neck without thinking twice about it.  
  
“Jesse!!,” she cried, “come on! Don’t let this bastard take your life!!”

     

        "Oh...oh my God.”

Sombra’s head spun around fast to find Hana in the doorway, her hand going up to her mouth. “He’s dying!,” she yelled, “he needs help!”

Without any hesitation, “code red! Code red!,” Hana screamed into her smartwatch, “living quarters room 13!”

“Wh-what...is...going...on?”

Sombra glared at Hanzo who seemed to be coming back to his senses. “ _You_ ...you stay the FUCK away from him!” She went back to tending to Jesse as best as she could. He had already lost the majority of color in his skin and she could barely feel or sense his pulse. But his blood...oh God, his blood. It smelled so good. She shook her head to try to get rid of the scent.

“Jesse! Goddammit! Don’t you fucking die on me! Not like this!” The tears were coming harder now.  
  
“It’ll be okay,” Hana startled her as she was suddenly by her side.

“But...but I can’t feel his pulse,” she muttered.

“ _Jesse!!_ ”

This time it was Hanzo screaming his name. Sombra looked at him and with anger running rampant in her veins, she jumped up and charged after him, pushing him up against the wall.

“What were you thinking?!,” she yelled as she started hitting him on the chest, balling like a little child. “Why would you do this to him?!” She fell to her knees. “He did this...all for you.”

 

        Hanzo couldn’t focus. Everything was a little blurry and all he could hear was his own heart pounding in his chest...and Sombra yelling at him. He stared at Jesse’s nearly lifeless body with wide eyes, trying to figure out what the hell had happened. Had he really done this? Did he bite him? Had bloodlust taken him over?

“I hate you! I fucking hate you!!”

He glanced down at Sombra, who was hysterical and still weakly punching him in the chest. He slid down to the floor in shock, eyeing Jesse. Why hadn’t he stopped him? Had he given up? _I trusted you! I believed in you! Why would you do this to me?!_ He started to remember, Jesse’s voice in his head, the look of anguish in his eyes. He remembered telling the wolf he needed to leave… _Take my blood. Just take my fucking blood!_ Oh fucking hell. What had he done?

“I fucking hate you,” Sombra repeated, except this time her voice was much quieter and her forehead now leaned up against him.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, putting an arm around her.  
  
She sniffed, “sorry doesn’t fix this.”

        Suddenly a bunch of people came into the room, all rushing to Jesse. He watched as they injected him with something and bandaged his neck before picking him up and taking him out of the room. Hanzo wanted to get up, go with them… but he couldn’t move. He was still in shock, unsure of what was going on.

“Are you okay?,” Hana was now standing in front of them, looking down at him.

He glanced up, “nani?”

“He’s fine!” Sombra snapped, pulling away from him as she swatted his arm, “I can’t believe you!” Her eyes gave him the evilest of looks.

“When was the last time you drank?,” Hana asked, ignoring her.

He looked up at her, “uhhh, well before the flight here.”

“So you went twenty-four hours without blood?”  
  
“Uhhh, possibly more, yes.”

“Geez, Hanzo! You know better!”

“I...I know.”

She huffed. “Well, pull yourself together, go have a smoke or something and then we’ll talk.”

“Talk?!,” Sombra yelled, “are you serious?! Jesse is _dying_ and you want to have a fucking CHAT?!”

Hana gave her a soft smile as she turned to her, a hand going to her face. Hanzo watched as Sombra’s entire body stiffened while Hana wiped the tears from her cheek. “He’s in good hands. He’s not going to die. I promise you.”

“But-”

Hana stopped her from talking further by placing her finger against her lips. She then glanced back at him. “I’m going to take her down to see him. You clean up, okay?”

He nodded and watched them walk out of the room, Sombra glaring back at him, shaking her fist. With a sigh, he leaned his head up against the wall and closed his eyes.

        Never in his entire life did he let bloodlust consume him. Even with going over twenty-four hours with no blood, he would be okay. He banged the wall with a fist. _Jesse_ . It was all Jesse - it had to be. The one person who broke down his wall and got inside of his head...and heart. The one person who made him laugh, who let him have fun and kid around, who let him pick on and tease. The tears came and he didn’t bother to stop or hide it, banging his head against the wall. He was such an asshole. _I trusted you! I believed in you!_ Jesse’s words tore at him, feeling like it was ripping his chest open. _Oh wait_ . He glanced down. That was him. He had broken the skin on his chest with his fingernails. But the physical pain didn't even amount to the pain he felt _inside_ his chest. He was so mad at himself for losing control like that. Despite Hana's promise, he still feared that Jesse was going to lose his life. Because of him. Running his nails down his chest again, he cried out in agony.

        Hanzo had no idea how long he sat there against the wall, crying and tearing his chest up. He wanted to die. He didn't want to go on without Jesse by his side. _Fuck_ . He _loved_ that stupid wolf...

“Hanzo!! Stop!!”

He lifted his head to see Hana running up to him. She took hold of his wrist, stopping him from doing more damage to himself as she knelt down beside him.

“Why,” she frowned, “why are you doing this?”

“I...I killed him,” he mumbled.

“No you didn't. He's going to be okay, just like I said.”

“But I-”

“Stop, just stop.” Her other hand went to his face, her thumb rubbing his cheek. “It's going to be okay.”

“This is not okay,” he muttered, looking away from her.

She sighed. “Bloodlust happens. We all know that. It's the struggle we deal with everyday. It's the downside to being what we are.”

“Doesn't make it right.”

“He will forgive you.”

“I doubt that. This isn't just about the bloodlust.”

        Another sigh and she let go of him, sitting down next to him against the wall. “So he's mad that you didn't tell him that I was part of Nightfall. He will get over it once he realizes that there's no danger in being here.”

“It's more than that,” he sniffed, “I lost his trust.”

“Then you just gain it back.”

He put his head back, closing his eyes. Hana wasn't wrong, but it wasn't something that could be fixed with an apology, either. His hand was taken by Hana’s and he held it tightly.

“I've known you for a long time and we've been through some shit, but I've never seen you like this before,” she said softly, “you looked so happy standing beside him, so proud that he was your guardian.”

He didn't say anything. Besides his brother, Hana was the only other person who knew him on a personal level (well, Jesse too he supposed). She was kind of like a sister to him, just like Sombra was to Jesse.

“You love him, don't you?,” she suddenly asked.

“Hai,” he said on a whisper after hesitating for a moment.

She then kissed his shoulder. “He's going to be just fine.”

“I hope you are right.”

“When have I ever lied to you?”

That made him laugh a little.

“Come on, you've still got blood on you and I’m sure you can use a nice hot shower. And some ramen.”

She had a point. There was no sense in sitting there, wallowing. If she said Jesse was going to be alright then he was. And he needed to be there for him…if he allowed him to see him. With a heavy sigh, he forced himself to get up.

“I'll wait. Take your time.”

He helped Hana up before nodding and going into the bathroom.

        Despite the conversation with Hana, Hanzo found himself crying in the shower. He hated himself for what he did - all of it. From deceiving Jesse to almost taking his life. Jesse had been the one person who didn’t doubt him, who trusted him, and gave up everything for him. He had no clue how to fix this. He growled, punching the shower wall, cracking the tile. His knuckles came back bloody. Cursing, he put his head down under the stream of water. _Get yourself together!_

        He finally got out of the shower, dried off and then got dressed. He went with Hana to the dining hall where he just stared at the bowl of ramen in front of him. He couldn't bring himself to eat. All he could think about was Jesse.

“You want to go see him?,” Hana asked.

He looked at her, unable to answer. He did…and he didn't.

“He's probably still asleep but I will bring you to him.”

He nodded before they got up and left the dining hall.

 

        Sombra sat beside the bed, holding Jesse's hand. He had been stabilized and was sleeping like a baby. They had got to him just in time.

“How is he doing?”

She turned her head to see Hana in the doorway of the room…with Hanzo next to her.

“Get him out of here,” she growled.

“It’s alright,” Hana stated.

Sombra left the bedside, going up to them. “No, it is _not_ alright! He has no right being here!”

“I mean, he kinda does.”

She huffed, her hands going to her hips.

“I know you're really mad at him, but cut him some slack. You know the struggle of bloodlust,” Hana said.

Sombra just looked at her, knowing what she was saying was true. It didn't lessen the anger inside of her, though.

“I... I didn't mean to,” Hanzo suddenly said barely above a whisper.

She moved her eyes to him. He looked like hell. His eyes were swollen and red, plus his left eye had quite the bruise, a bit of a black eye forming. And he had random small cuts and bruises on his face. Had they been fighting?

“What even happened?,” she asked softly.

He sighed, his stare going to the bed behind her. “We got into a fight. He wouldn't let up so I ended up hitting him in the head which made him start bleeding.” 

“It was all over from there,” Hana said with a sigh.

“He was holding you, you know. He even looked like he had a fucking smile on his face. It was as if he knew he was going to lose his life to you and he was okay with it,” Sombra mentioned before looking away, her eyes tearing up, “I can't do this right now.”

Hana put an arm around her, “let's give him a minute alone.”

She allowed her to lead her outside the room, glancing back as Hanzo walked up to the bed.

        Hanzo looked down at the sound asleep Jesse. The color had returned to his face and the cut on his temple had finally closed up, a bandage covering it as well as his neck. However, it was going to be awhile before his body started healing itself due to the lack of blood in his system. He had him to thank for that. With a heavy sigh, he sat down, taking Jesse's hand into both of his. He then leaned it up against his forehead and closed his eyes. Using the guardian contract connection, he spoke to him in his head.

_Jesse, if you can hear me, I am so incredibly sorry. For everything. I shouldn't have deceived you. I never meant to hurt you._

He could feel the tears coming again.

_I'm such an asshole. This is why I don't get involved with others. I don't know how to be around other people._

He paused, moving his hand to his lips and placing a soft kiss on his knuckles. _I am so fucking sorry. You are the greatest thing to walk into my life and I nearly took yours away. Some lover, huh?_

He held his hand tight as he sat there, hating himself.

_I know what I did is unforgivable. And I have no idea how I can ever make it up to you. I'm a terrible partner. But please know_ _that_  , he paused for a few moments, _I love you._ He froze as he felt the fingers on his hand move slightly. He began crying harder. _I love you so fucking much._

Suddenly Jesse's hand gripped his. He gasped, his eyes going to his face. He was still out like a light. Did this mean that he _could_ subconsciously hear him? He stood and leaned over him, placing his lips of his forehead.

_When you wake, I will tell you to your face that I love you and I will show you just how much. That is a promise. So please...stay with me._

The grip on his hand got tighter. A strange heat filled Hanzo's chest. All the pain inside of him dissipated, replaced with the comfort of the warmth.

“Hanzo.”

He turned his head towards the doorway. Hana was standing there with Sombra beside her. He nodded before going back to Jesse.

_I will let you rest. Come back to me when you're ready. I will be waiting._

He kissed his forehead once more before letting go of his hand and leaving the room.

 

        Angela walked into the room where Genji had been the past few days. He was sitting upright on the bed, his legs hanging off the side.

“Genji,” she said softly with a bit of a forced smile.

“Hello, Miss Angela,” he replied back with his own smile.

She tried to hide her concern as she walked up to him. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thank you.”  
  
“I...I am glad.”

“Are you okay? You seem a little worked up.”

“Ah, yes,” she clutched her clipboard, “so...I need to tell you,” she cleared her throat, “your brother is currently on the Wanted list by Council-”

“Nani? What for?”

“It’s a long story. One that I do not have time to share at the moment. However, it is about to affect us here so we need to leave.”

“Leave?”

“Yes. We will not be safe here any longer so I am going to take you somewhere safer until you finish healing completely. Are you okay with that?”

There was a pause as he seemed to think about it and then he nodded, “yes, if you believe we are no longer safe here then take me to wherever we need to go.”

She gave him a small smile, “alright. We leave in a couple hours. One of the other members of Nightfall will be joining us.”

“Is it that cowboy, with the hat?”

“Um, no. He is currently with your brother.” She knew he was confused just by the look on his face. “I will explain later. Do what you need to do to get ready and then we will go.”

He nodded, “hai.”

She then turned and left to go speak with Rein. By the way Jack had been talking, he hadn’t been kidding around and there was definitely an urgency in his voice. With Jesse gone missing and now Gabe not letting Jack leave, she _knew_ something was up. Best to get the hell out of there and ask questions later.

 

        Turns out Hanzo was _starving_ , as he ate four bowls of ramen. Four! Even he was impressed with himself. He sat back and let out a heavy breath, his hand going to his belly.

“Hungry?,” Hana asked with a smile.

“Apparently.”

He was sitting at the table with Hana and Sombra, who seemed to no longer hate him.

“So,” Hana began, “tell me what's going on, what brought you here. Besides the obvious.”

“Well…,” Hanzo started to say before Sombra cut him off.

“Two words,” she eyed him before looking at Hana, “Gabriel Reyes.”

“Ah yes, _that_ guy,” Hana said with a sigh, “such a troublemaker he is.”

“You have _no_ idea.”

        Sombra began telling Hana everything they had learned and what happened to bring them here. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, Hanzo excused himself and went to the roof, lighting a cigarette. Sombra had most of it covered, they didn’t need him there and he certainly needed a smoke - _bad_. He took a long drag and looked out over the city. So much noise and people. He definitely preferred the quietness of the country. Standing there, he could only think about his time at the cabin with Jesse. He couldn't even remember the days before Jesse showed up. He cursed, not able to think about anything except for that damn wolf. His smile, his laugh, his weird accent. Everything about that man, he adored. What used to be a casual ‘like’ had turned into something so much bigger and it was now consuming him.

        Hanzo lost track of how many cigarettes he smoked and how long he had stayed on the roof thinking about Jesse and what happened. It wasn't until Hana came up to him that he realized the sun was now down, making it possible for her to even be up there.

“You okay?,” she asked, taking up seat beside him on the edge, “you've been up here for a few hours.”

“Yeah, I'm alright,” he answered, looking over at her.

She picked up the pack of cigarettes beside him, opening it to reveal the last one. “With everything going on, I forgot to say sorry about your family.”

“Thanks,” he gave her a small smile.

“At least we know where Genji is.”

“Yeah.”

“I was tracking him, you know. But I lost him when he went to Vegas.”

“It is okay. For right now, he's safe.”

“That won't last.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Sombra and I hacked into Reyes’ security system. He's holding Jack Morrison hostage, not letting him leave his house.”

Shit. That was a problem. Big problem. He cursed on a sigh. “Jack knows too much. Gabriel can't let him go.”

“Yes indeed. No doubt that he did that on purpose.”

Hanzo went back to looking at the view of the city. He didn't know who he hated more - Gabriel Reyes or Maximilien.

“We will have to contact the New York office at some point.”

Hana was right. Everyone at that location would soon be in danger. There was no question that if Gabe found out through Jack that Genji was there, he would go after them. He would need to finish the job, no?

He nodded, “we will need to wait as long as we can before doing so. I don't know much about Jack but I'm sure he's aware of the situation.”

“Yes. Jack is probably very aware, especially if Reyes knows that Genji is there.”

Hanzo wasn't really concerned about Genji. Once he recovered and was back at full health, he would be able to protect everyone there, unless Maximilien got involved again.

“I've also been tracking Reyes’ movements. His involvement with Maximilien is a big problem.”

“I figured as much.”

“Most of the info you guys found and your theories are pretty much spot on. Coming here was a wise decision.”

He glanced at Hana, whose smartwatch started beeping. She answered the call, putting it on speaker.

_“He's awake.”_

Hanzo's eyes went wide and he jumped up.

“We'll be right down,” Hana advised as she nodded at him.


End file.
